Secrets of Nanreath Hall

     Secrets of Nanreath Hall by Alix Rickloff follows the story of the Trenowyth family, through 2 generations. I tend to really enjoy stories that are told from different perspectives and then connect in the middle somewhere. This book was a little different because it simultaneously told the stories of Kitty Trenowyth and her daughter, Anna Trenowyth. The fact that the story shared a setting during 2 different time periods was a little different than some other novels I've read.

     Kitty's story is set in pre-WWI England. Lady Katherine Trenoqyth is the daughter of an aristocratic family and, as such, has set expectations for her life. When she meets painter, Simon Halliday, she has decisions to make about what type of life she really wants to have and what consequences those choices might have.

       Anna Trenowyth's story occurs during WWII. She serves as a nurse for the Red Cross and is unexpectedly is assigned to service at Nanreath Hall, her dead mother's childhood home. Raised by family friends, Anna's new assignment will give her an opportunity to learn about her mom and the relatives she had never met. 

    Overall, this book kept me interested in each character and curious to what would happen next. I looked forward to reading it each night and would be interested in reading another book by this author. 

Goodreads Challenge- 9/50

Mount TBR- 6/24

What are you reading?

    One of my favorite things to do during the summer is to read. (I know, I'm SUPER exciting)  I find reading to be incredibly relaxing and I've always been a nerdy type who loves to learn. You can catch me reading anything from a crime novel to a textbook. So far this summer I have read:

Caught by Harlen Coben
A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick
The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
Sticky Faith by Kara Powell
(Me and My Big Mouse by Ethan Long- I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. It's a kids book and my boys really liked it)
He Who Fears the Wolf by Karin Fossum

    Apparently it's a historical fiction, crime novel type summer. I'm currently reading:
Crash The Chatterbox: Hearing God's Voice Above All Others by Steven Furtick- I'm reading this with a small group of my friends. We've been meeting to talk about the book. It's good but I lose momentum if it is too long between meetings. I am definitely a "read through this book and think about it as I go" person rather than "a little here, a little there" type.

     I'm also reading Columbine by Dave Cullen. If you are not aware, Columbine is a high school that had a school shooting back in April of 1999. Any school shooting is horrific but this one was one of the first ones that really hit home for me since I was just about to graduate with my degree in music education and start teaching. I just started it yesterday and I don't think it's going to be a book I can say that I love or enjoy but definitely one that will make me think. I actually have met the father of Rachel Scott, the first person killed in the attack, and heard him speak to our students. It was painful to read her story and connect it with a person I have actually spoken to and learned about. I am also glad that the author decided to include no pictures in the book.

      There is one book that I started this summer that I put back on my "to read" shelf. After about 300 pages I found that I still was not really into the book. I can usually whiz through a book and finish it, even if it isn't super interesting but this book is really long and I think I just needed a change of pace. I'm also not really connecting with many of the characters. This book is Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I really wanted to read it since it's considered a classic. I'll try it another time and see if I become more invested.

     What are you reading right now? What's the best book you have read lately?