The Invisble Wall

"The Invisble Wall: A Love Story That Broke Barriers" is a memoir by Harry Bernstein begins somewhat reminiscent of Angela's Ashes, but soon takes on a voice and heart of its own.

The title is a reference to the invisible "line in the sand" drawn straight down the middle of the street dividing two different cultures and religions forced to cohibitate the same smallcorner, miserable corner of England during the 1900s, Jews on one side and Christians on the other.

It is Harry's memories of growing up with a despot father who cares more for the bottle than he does for his family and a caring, devoted mother at her wits end who determination and dreams become the powerful yet crumbled foundation of her family.

The story also mostly centers around the taboo blossoming loves that are tossed about on the eve of WW I with all of the heartbreak of living in a poverty stricken world of child labour and religious persecution.

I found this memoir, written by the author at age 93, to be engaging and positively charming in execution. It was a well written taken of the power of love to break down all walls, whether real or invisible.

I give it 4 out of 5 stars for anyone who loves reading about small English working-class neighborhoods and World War I novels.

Shadow and Bone

"Shadow and Bone" by Leigh Bardugo was a pleasant read and I will admit to enjoying the escapism of the story.

If you are looking for something new, you will have to keep looking. Bit if you are merely looking for an engaging light book to read with a feel of Russian folklore mixed with fantasy and budding self-awareness, then you'll be quite happy with this one!

A poor, scrawny and painfully ordinary girl discovers she is one-of-a-kind only possible savior of the world and finds herself drawn to the dark and broody "is he a villain or merely misunderstood" dreamboat. She is then, of course, reunited with the simple and brave boy she has been in love with since a child and is now torn between her feelings for both.

It may sounds trite and shallow upon that description, but it was actually a fun and quick story that flowed along well and kept me, as the reader, engage from beginning to (yes, predictable) end. The side characters were believable, their choices understandable and I'd say that all were well written.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series later this year. I'll give this one a solid 2.5 stars out of 5! Worth taking a chance on if you enjoy YA literature.