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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Unshackled by Amanda Dubois

    July 2, 2025
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    Note: This book was provided to me gratis by Full Swing Public Relations, in exhange for a review.

    Seattle based attorney and author Amanda Dubois‘ third book, tackles an interesting and difficult subject. The subject of incarcerated mothers, and the far reaching societal impacts of keeping children separated from their mothers. Here is my book review Unshackled by Amanda Dubois.

    Incarcerated Mothers

    This book opens with a difficult scene. A young, incarcerated pregnant women, is forced to give birth while shackled, and in full-view of prison guards. The young mother, Charli, is serving time, for a crime she did not commit. Before Charli has time to get to know her beautiful little daughter Willow, a man claiming to be the father, kidnaps baby Willow and is gone without a trace.

    Seven Years Later

    We meet Seattle Attorney Camille Delaney. Well known for her tough work, she agrees to take on pro-bono work for women inside the State Correctional Facility. It’s been seven years since baby Willow was kidnapped. The case is cold, and Charli has nowhere to turn. But Camille feels a connection both to Charli, and to the women on the inside. Women who find themselves in an endless catch-22 – trying to navigate the system, and reconnect with their children while serving time.

    Truth

    Camille will enlist the help of her friend and private investigator, as well as her law assistant a former “insider”. A collection of other players help to doggedly pursue justice for Charli, and other convicted mothers. Many whose rights are all but forgotten.

    The story will bounce from Seattle, to the San Juan Islands, to Gig Harbor and to Port Angeles. Camille’s tenacious pursuit of justice for Charli builds a friendship between the women. One that will be tested in the end.

    Book Review Unshackled by Amanda Dubois

    My only criticism of this novel is there are a lot of coincidences that further the plot, some seemingly unrealistic. That said it is engaging and importantly covers a crucial social topic we all should have a better understanding of.

    ****Four stars for Unshackled by Amanda Dubois. Thank you for reading my book review Unshackled by Amanda Dubois. See last week’s Book Review Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni

    June 25, 2025
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    I had never heard of Robert Dugoni until I recently read his latest novel The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. See my book review The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell here. After reading Sam Hell I was intrigued by this author and I discovered Hold Strong. I listened to this one on audible. Here is my book review Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni.

    World War II

    Just like last week’s book Gendarme, Hold Strong is a story of true events that occurred during war time, this story is WWII. Despite the fact there are literally hundreds of novels and non-fiction books about WWII – I was unaware of the horrific “hell ships” of the Japanese military.

    Hell ships refer to the Japanese ships used during World War II to transport Allied prisoners of war (POWs) and forced laborers (rōmusha). These ships were notorious for their extremely inhumane conditions, leading to many deaths aboard, and earned the name “hell ship” due to the suffering endured by those on board. 

    This entire story is based on factual accounts and it is truly horrifying. Not to mention embarrassing that I have never heard of it.

    When is the Movie?

    This book is perfect material for an epic film, and I will be shocked if it doesn’t come to fruition. It has everything; based on factual events, heartfelt love story, engaging characters, and horrifying war crimes. The good, the bad and the brutal.

    War

    Sam Carlson is madly in love with his hometown sweetheart Sarah Haber – the smartest and prettiest girl in town. Sam joins the military at the end of the great depression in hopes of earning enough to buy back his family farm, where he dreams of raising a family with Sarah. But war has other plans.

    Sam will be taken prisoner by the Japanese in 1942 and will endure a horrific series of events including the Japanese “hell ship” the Arisan Maru. Sarah never stops believing Sam is alive, and her imagined life as a small town teacher will take a big turn. She is recruited as code breaker for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. Her work will play an unimaginable role in the events of WWII.

    Dugani has created some very believable characters and story line, and although they are fictional, their story and the story of the men on both the “hell ships” and the Baatan Death March are based on facts and real people. Incredibly a part of WWII few people know about. I’m so glad I learned this story from Hold Strong.

    Book Review Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni

    *****Five stars for Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni. Thank you for reading my book review Hold Strong by Robert Dugoni. See last week’s book review Gendarme by Mark Mustian.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Gendarme by Mark Mustian

    by the author of Boy With Wings

    June 18, 2025
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    Incredible. I am an avid historical fiction reader, particularly when the plot is based on real events and people. Having recently been to and fallen in love with Armenia and the surrounding Caucasus countries, I devoured this story. Here is my book review Gendarme by Mark Mustian.

    Gendarme

    A couple months ago I posted a review of Mark Mustian’s latest novel Boy With Wings. Read my book review Boy with Wings by Mark Mustian here. In my review I say it was one of my favorite books of the year. I was so impressed I went in search of other novels by Mustian, and ended up with Gendarme.

    If you aren’t familiar with the word Gendarme, it is a French word that describes a police force, which is also part of the armed forces. In this novel we experience a harrowing story of Gendarmes during the Turkish genocide of Armenians between 1915-1917. As a point of reference, Mustian has Armenian roots.

    In this story we meet an old man, Emmett Conn. He is at the end of his life, diagnosed with a brain tumor and having ‘hallucinations”. But Emmett insists these are dreams, in a chronological sequence, telling story he cannot remember. But the dreams and the story are so real to him.

    Armenia

    Due to a head injury in World War I, Emmett Conn (Ahmet Kahn) cannot remember his time in the Turkish army. His memory begins in a British hospital where he meets his future wife Carol. But as Emmett deals with failing health and a brain tumor in his 90’s, and his dreams bring him back to the time he was a Gendarme marching Armenians out of Turkey. Are these just dreams or did this really happen? In his dreams Emmett does horrific acts, commits unthinkable war crimes. But one girl, an Armenian beauty with one blue eye and one green eye is as real as can be in Emmett’s dreams.

    Break Out

    Emmett’s daughter and his doctor recommend Emmett to a phychiatric institution “just for a while” when his dreams or visions turn dangerous. Emmett knows his life is short, and his final wish is to find the girl, Araxie, with one blue eye and one green eye. He must know if she survived the Armenian genocide.

    In an almost comical but also depressing way Emmett breaks out of the institution on a bike, manages to get to New York city and find his way to an address where he thinks she lives. The resulting encounter is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, but it gives Emmett the answers he longs for.

    Book Review Gendarme by Mark Mustian

    I really loved this book and find it hard to put down. It’s not only a love story, it’s about aging in a fast paced world. But mostly it is about an event in history that is not taught in schools, is still not recognized by the Turkish government, but is real to every Armenian. If you aren’t familiar with the Armenian genocide, read this book.

    *****Five stars for Gendarme by Mark Mustian. See last week’s book review Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten.

    Thank you for reading my book review Gendarme by Mark Mustian. We love it when you share, pin and comment about our book reviews.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten

    The Barefoot Contessa

    June 11, 2025
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    It was no surprise to me that I loved this memoir. I’ve been reading a lot of memoirs lately (more reviews coming), but Ina Garten is someone I can really identify with for many reasons I will mention in my review below. Here is my book review Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten.

    Kindred Spirit

    It’s not hard to like Ina Garten. She is lovely on camera and exudes a fun personality. I feel a kindred spirit with her as a “foodie” (a term I learned was coined by Gael Greene of New York Magazine in 1980), as a self-taught cook, as a writer and as someone who is married to her first love. Her get-it-done personality, vision and drive are all things I identify with. But there are also differences, things she reveled about her personal life that make this story both surprising and inspirational.

    We’re All Living in Cages with the Door Wide Open

    Ina credits George Lucas with the quote “We’re all living in cages with the door wide open” and boy did I identify with that. Like Ina, my AHA! moment came late in my career, when I realized how caged I felt. She says “I realized I had the power and the responsibility to set myself free.”

    I felt that. Because people ask me often about how we launched our travel life, about how I walked away from a career and about reinventing myself. In hindsight – I walked through the wide open door.

    Food and a Whole Lot More

    Yes this book is about food. It’s about the love of cooking, running a very successful food shop called the Barefoot Contessa (no longer operating). It’s about cookbooks (she has many) and television cooking shows. But Be Ready When the Luck Happens is more about recognizing opportunities, giving up things to gain other things, knowing what your good at (despite a childhood of repression of any creativity) and building a life with a partner who is your best friend.

    How Great is That

    Ina’s signature How Great is… imbues her sense of fun and discovery and wisdom in a life that isn’t perfect, but hard work and creativity can make it pretty close.

    *****Five stars for Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten. Inspirational and few recipes tossed in too!

    Thanks for reading my book review Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten. See last week’s book review Unearthed by Chanchal Garg.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Unearthed by Chanchal Garg

    The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury

    June 4, 2025
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    I was provided this book gratis by Coriolis Company in exhange for a review. Here is my book review Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury by Chanchal Garg

    Tradition

    I’ve stumbled into a couple of memoirs lately. I’ve been asked in the past about writing my own memoir. It sounds exhausting. But when someone has a really strong and truthful message based on their own experience, I always am engaged. Unearthed looks deeply at a culture I am frankly unfamiliar with. Chanchal Garg explains in detail her upbringing in a traditional Indian home, by immigrant Indian parents and the traditions that were unquestioned in her upbringing. Traditions of female/male roles, marriage and childrearing, and most of all, religion. These unbending rules, almost cult like, are the basis of her personal story.

    Question

    I was intrigued from the very beginning with this open-

    Dear Reader, May you question the narrative that no longer serves you. May you have the courage to trace what you carry – and choose what you keep. And may you reclaim your truth, in all it’s beauty and power.

    This opening statement, spoke to me. I was struck by a great sense of power in this author with words like question, courage and truth. As women we all are faced with the biases against. Garg found her way out of a life defined by rules, traditions, cultural and gender expectations and spiritual abuse.

    Culture-Clash

    This story opened my eyes more widely to the difficulties of being raised “American” but with immigrant parents holding to cultural traditions. As a child, teenager and even later, searching for an identity can be fraught with confusion. Who are we when we are more than just American? This question caused the author to question her identity, turn to a religious leader, who ultimately abused her and caused her significantly more insecurity about herself. And the abuse continued for a decade as she tried to self-mitigate her personal feelings of a dutiful Indian women who should never question authority.

    Lost

    When the author finally is mature enough to realize she must make drastic changes in her life, the result is a new self-guided journey. A journey alone, without her community and faith but a journey to recovery. Her strength is inspiring and I think you will be inspired by book review Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury by Chanchal Garg.

    Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury by Chanchal Garg

    My only criticism of this memoir is it is a bit long-winded, and some readers might get lost in the minutia of details. But the outcome is positive and affirming and I enjoyed reading Unearthed:The Lies we Carry & The Truths They Bury by Chanchal Garg.

    Four stars for Unearthed by Chanchal Garg ****

    Thank you for reading my book review Unearthed: The Lies We Carry & The Truths They Bury by Chanchal Garg. See last week’s book review Cabin by Patrick Hutchison, another memoir from a PNW author.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review Cabin by Patrick Hutchison

    May 28, 2025
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    The subtitle of this book, which I listened to on Audible, is Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman. What could be more intriguing than that? Not to mention, this is a true story based in my home region of the Pacific Northwest. Here is my book review Cabin by Patrick Hutchison.

    Wit’s End

    The name of the street (if that’s what you can call it) is a perfect precursor to Hutchison’s project. A project on street named Wit’s End to acquire and make liveable (kinda) an off-grid cabin in the rainy and rural Cascade Mountain region about an hour from Seattle.

    Searching

    Hutchison, a single young man, stuck behind a desk with dreams for being a writer. Searching for something more, Hutchison decides on a whim to purchase a ramshackle cabin with no power or plumbing for $7000. He doesn’t have $7000 but his mom gives him a loan, and thus begins a six year adventure to bring the cabin to a place worthy of Hutchison’s dreams.


    Cabin

    Cabin is not just about a young man tackling a construction project, or biting off more than he can chew. Cabin is more. It’s about finding oneself, being resourceful, true friendship, and finding potential in the smallest things. Reminiscent of Bill Bryson, Patrick Hutchison is surprisingly honest and open about the experience. Hutchison writes with humor and hindsight about all the highs and lows of the renovation project. The story reflects on growth, worry and joy – all emotions Cabin brought to Patrick’s life.

    Book Review Cabin by Patrick Hutchison

    I laughed out loud to this book and enjoyed this story very much. Having done my own share of renovations and because I call the Pacific Northwest home, I identified closely with this story.

    ****Four stars for Cabin by Patrick Hutchison. See last week’s book review The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kajin.

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    Reading Wednesday

    Book Review The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

    May 21, 2025
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    What does it mean to be or have a true friend? One who forgives and still loves? This is the theme of this novel. A beautifully written story of devotion and love of friends and country. Here is my book review The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali.

    Friendship

    It’s the 1950’s in Iran, and little Ellie has a privledged life in a beautiful home with her domineering and narsisstic mother. Her mom, constantly claiming to be of royal blood, looks down on most people. Ellie is a lonesome girl and just wants a friend.

    Ellie’s father dies suddenly and she and her mother lose all of their wealth and security, and move to the poor side of town.

    When Ellie makes friends with Homa at her new school, Ellie see’s another kind of simplier life, with kind, caring parents who welcome Ellie into their humble home. Her friend Homa shows Ellie what a true friend can be, and helps Ellie come out of her shell. But Ellie’s mother looks down on Homa and Homa’s family and decides to take extreme measures to get Ellie out of the neighborhood.

    A Different Life

    Ellie’s mother marries the brother of her dead husband and once again Ellie finds herself in a mansion and opulent school. Years go buy and beautiful Ellie is “queen” of the school. She is slowly falling for a nice boy, when one day Homa arrives at the school too. Expecting to pick up their friendship where it left off, Ellie is conflicted by her old friend and her new status.

    Coming of Age

    The two young women with very different political views will come of age during the tumoltuous 60’s, 70’s and 80’s of Iran. Finding different paths for their beliefs. When Ellie makes an innocent statement in what she believes is an innocuous conversation, Homa’s life will change forever, and Ellie will live with the guilt of that night and her naivety.

    The Lion Women of Tehran

    Ellie and her husband will go to New York for him to take a tempory job. And soon after the Shaw of Iran flees the country and the Ayatolla Khomeini takes over. Women in Iran lose most rights and now are required to wear the Hajib. Ellie and her husband never return to Iran. Homa continues her political fight despite being raped, beaten and imprisoned.

    When Homa reaches out to Ellie after years of silence, Ellie’s continued guilt resurfaces for her old friend. Homa will ask Ellie for the ultimate favor. What can Elllie do but say yes?

    A story of deep friendship, political uncertainty, female strength and the ultimate sacrafice. A sweeping saga of courage and destiny and the different paths that each can take.

    *****Five stars for the Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali.

    Thank you for reading my Book Review The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali. See last week’s book review Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford.

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