On the coast of Normandy, the people of Vergers are trying their best to go on with their everyday lives.  Since the German occupation, everyone has simply been doing their best to survive by any means necessary.  For Emmanuelle, this means continuing to bake her bread; however, it is no longer the joyful task it once was.  Emma was apprenticed to Ezra Kuchen, the village baker when she was 13.  Since the Germans came, she watched her mentor forced to wear a yellow star and later dragged away.  Emma  is the only one in town left to bake and is commanded to do so for the occupying army.  Forced to bake for the soldiers while she watches those around her starve, Emma decides that she will stretch her extra rations to make 14 loaves instead of the desired 12 for the Germans.  She stretches her resources by adding finely ground straw to the recipe.  While taking her covert bread to those who need it most, Emma is asked if she could find other things: eggs, gasoline, light bulbs, for the townspeople.  So begins Emma's unintentional Resistance to keep the town alive and hopeful until help arrives. 

THE BAKER’S SECRET takes us to a small village in Normandy during WWII. We follow Emma, her family, and the village as they live under the restraints of German occupation.

The village citizens work together to stay alive and to help each other. Emma is a very strong female character that you can't help but sympathize with and fall in love with. She is someone you would love to have had in your village during WWII.

Emma's strength and subtle resistance to the Germans was amazing. Emma knew how to be subversive and still stay alive. Emma's role in helping to save the residents of her town was to follow the Kommandant's order to bake bread for him and his men every day.

Emma had a secret about baking this bread. She would sneak in two extra loaves to share with the townspeople by stretching the number of required loaves by two.

THE BAKER'S SECRET shows the unity the Europeans had to have in order to survive. The characters were authentic, and you will become immersed in their lives and suffer with them as well as silently cheer with them when the courage they share turns in to a triumph.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE BAKER'S SECRET. The writing is marvelous and detailed.

The book is one you won't want to put down. If you read only one book this year, make it THE BAKER'S SECRET.

THE BAKER'S SECRET is a wonderful testimony and tribute to the people who lived through and survived WWII. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

I have to admit that it was the title that first drew me to this book as I love anything at all to do with hummingbirds. Although there was only a slight reference to the meaning of the title in the book, this gorgeous novel did not disappoint in any way.

There are actually three stories in this book. The first deals with a very caring hospice worker, Deborah Birch, and her work with a patient, Barclay Reed, who is a professor and expert on the Pacific Theater of World War II. Deborah is assigned the tough cases and Professor Reed is certainly a tough nut to crack. Their developing relationship and journey toward the end of Professor Reed’s life is a beautiful and emotional one. The gift Deborah receives in return for her loving care is indeed a priceless one.

The second story deals with Deborah’s husband, Michael. He’s a severely damaged war veteran dealing with the memories of the atrocities that he’s encountered and the ghosts that haunt him. Their story will break your heart as her husband struggles to heal and they try to piece their marriage back together.

The third story is an extraordinary one about a World War II Japanese pilot who fire bombs a forest in the US and his journey towards redemption and forgiveness. It’s one that you won’t soon forget and I found it to be a very powerful lesson.

I’ve read a few reviews saying that this book is sappy. I don’t like sappy books and didn’t find this one to be sappy at all. I thought it was beautifully written, moving, touching and emotional with strong insight into the human soul. The author has a true heart of a poet. I can’t wait to read his first novel, “The Curiosity”, although it sounds like a very different type of book.

I won an ARC of this book through The Reading Room with the request that I give an honest review.

The Curiosity
Author: Stephen P. Kiernan
Genre: Science Fiction
Setting: Boston, USA | Thule, Greenland | Alert, Nunavut, Canada | Queen Elizabeth Islands, Canada
Published by William Morrow (An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers)

Mankind’s desire to answer the questions life invariably poses is usually fueled by wonder and curiosity. Much of what we know were born from the hard work and dedication of those who sought answers to simple questions. The knowledge humanity possesses now has brought forth advances that many people from centuries ago would not have imagined. While many discoveries have proven beneficial, some products of scientific discoveries have contributed to destruction and even the loss of lives. The Curiosity, Stephen P. Kiernan’s debut novel, tackles the fine line between the brilliance of scientific discovery and the ethical dilemmas we face in our pursuit of knowledge. For the novel though, the biggest question is: “What if we have the means to make death temporary?”

An expedition to the Arctic headed by Dr. Kate Philo leads to the discovery of a human frozen in an iceberg- a discovery that undoubtedly surprised and enthralled not only the scientific community but the whole world. Utilizing a scientific procedure called ‘reanimation’ the team of scientists successfully revives the frozen man (Jeremiah Rice). This success did not go unnoticed. The project was initially met with praise, but not everyone was thrilled. It was later met with skepticism, controversy, anger and protests. Surely a discovery of this magnitude will have moral implications. Those involved were even accused of playing God. Inevitably, Jeremiah Rice became a reluctant celebrity overnight and his very existence triggers a series of events that will change the lives of all those involved in the project.

The Curiosity was an engrossing read right from the start. The story revolved around the science of cryogenics, the individuals involved, and the assimilation of Jeremiah Rice into modern society. The realm of science fiction often turn people off (including me, sometimes), for many reasons, but The Curiosity makes for one readable science fiction book simply because it was handled and written well. Mr. Kiernan did a great job in carefully pacing the story and melding a variety of themes together. The extraordinary has somewhat become convincing, while never touching the edges of absurdity. The story is told with shifting perspectives and allowed the characters to present themselves through their inner dialogues. There are some deeply moving lines in the story especially from Jeremiah Rice but my favorites were his hilarious commentary about body piercing, camera phones and supermarkets, just to name a few. Once I started it was hard to put down.

Perhaps the greatest strength of the book lies within its believable and interesting characters. While some are extraordinary in their own ways, some are downright despicable. It is a perfect mix of brilliant minds, compassionate individuals, and obnoxious and sleazy characters. It’s no surprise that I found Jeremiah Rice to be the most endearing character. He is a man radiating with wisdom and integrity. His opinions about our modern world resonated with me.

Many underlying themes are incorporated in the book as well. While a large part of the narrative delved into science and the lives of those involved, it also explored relevant subjects such as ethics, religion, and the role of media in our society. In the novel, the author showed how influential and powerful the media is- it can twist facts and make people believe if it wants to. The book is never preachy though, and that’s the beauty of it. The author actually dares you to analyze these themes without imposing his own beliefs.

My disappointment lies in the ending. I usually don’t have any problems with ‘hanging’ endings because it leaves room for limitless interpretations, but for this story, I wanted something concrete and believable (unless there’s a sequel). It’s a subjective (and minor) flaw, of course. Some people might not find this too much of a problem.

The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan is not your typical science fiction novel. It is a well-rounded and brilliant debut novel denying blunt categorization. Blending science, romance, suspense and drama, this book has underlying themes that will appeal to almost everyone. I enjoyed reading this a lot. I would gladly recommend this to book clubs and to individuals organizing readalongs as it has a lot of issues fit for discussion. Readers who find great pleasure in reading books that are thought-provoking will be pleased.

This book left me with a sense of life’s promises and paradoxes, while also confronting me with questions about what it means to truly exist in this world and how to lead a purposeful life. It also leaves a question for all of us to think about: “What are we willing to sacrifice in the name of science and discovery?”

>> READ MY REVIEW of this book in my blog (plus facts about the actor and book)

>> READ NOTABLE QUOTES from this book in my blog

I have these 7 books to read and review and I just don't seem to have enough hours in my day.  I'm pretty sure I don't get the full 24 that everyone else seems to get. 

One of these is in audio format so that will be a quick-ish one, one I've already started and the other 5 range in timescales of 8 to 21 days left until review deadline.

If I'm not around for the next while, you'll know where I am...I won't be reading -- I'll be shopping for boxes of time. :D

We had a 7 hour power outage last night from 6pm to 1am so I got a little bit of kindle reading done.  Thank God I had enough charge to last me.  No heat, no electricity, no internet, no telly, no telephone, no hot food or drinks...nothing except pitch black darkness and dropping temperatures.  Didn't realise how much we depended on the juice coming into the house.  On a dark country lane with no street lights and the few houses round about also in darkness is creepy as all get out when it's blustery and wet outside and a cloudy night with no moonlight.

Four of us plus the dog and the cat all in the same room trying to keep warm and listening to the wind and rain outside.  Started off like a little adventure, trying to keep occupied with nothing but the light from the kindle a wind up torch that cast a beam for about 15 seconds between each wind up and a couple of scented tea-lights but the novelty soon wore off. We took it in turns to run the battery down on our laptops while we crowded round each 15 inch screen to watch rubbish dvd's of movies we'd all seen countless times.

When the apocalypse comes we will be sorely under-prepared here, if last night is anything to go by.