Review of "Let Me Die in His Footsteps" by Lori Roy

This book takes place in Kentucky in the early half of the twentieth century. There's a belief in certain people having a gift of "know-how" and superstitious beliefs about good and evil. It's a slow revealing of what happened between the Hollerans and the Baines families. The story goes back and forth between 1936 when Sarah and Juna were teenagers and 1952 when Annie and Carolyn are teenagers. Annie calls Sarah 'mama' but has been told that her Aunt Juna is her real mother. Annie thinks that her Aunt Juna will return someday from where ever shes gone off to. The author portrays life in rural Kentucky in the last century well. The many people in the story convey a sense of what life was like then with the willingness to help each other when necessary but staying away from some because of superstitious fears. The ending was a surprise for me. I didn't see it coming at all. But the details all fall into place in the end making for a powerful story.

Review of "Girl Underwater" by Claire Kells

This story kept me riveted. The story of the plane crash and its aftermath were interwoven with scenes of Avery before the crash and after she is rescued. It described her relationship with her family, especially her father, an emergency room doctor who taught all his children survival skills on their camping trips. Avery must come to terms with what happened during the five days surviving in the wilderness through several snowstorms. Her relationship with her family, her boyfriend, Lee and her teammate, Colin change as she learns to cope with her feelings about the plane crash and swimming in the freezing cold lake.

Review of "Last Man Off' by Matt Lewis

Matt Lewis is a very good writer. The pacing of his story was excellent. The account of his time as an observer on a fishing boat in the southern ocean around South Georgia Island and the subsequent abandonment of it in a very bad storm was filled with detail. The days fighting for survival in the life raft were gripping. This is a book that will keep you reading through the night.