A Gentleman in Moscow

I'm mad at myself for putting this book off for so long. I missed out on reading one of the most endearing and touching novels of the past decade simply because I thought the cover made it look "too literary." I'm a fool! Now that I am acquainted with the Count, I'm remiss on how long it took for me to make his acquaintance. This book spans decades and its scope is confined to the four walls of the Metropol Hotel in Moscow; but despite all that its depth, imaginings, and plot is perfect and transcends the small setting. Thirty year old Count Alexander Rostov has been cast out of favor with the Bolsheviks and placed on house arrest indefinitely. The good news is he can continue living in the luxurious Metropol where he has ample money, friends, and a handsome room. The bad news is they take his room, most of his possessions and cast him in one of the smallest rooms on the sixth floor. Determined to make the best of an unfortunate situation he establishes a new routine and soon befriends most of the hotel's staff and repeat customers making the most of his new home. When a young girl of six is placed as his ward his whole world shifts and he begins to see the Metropol in a whole new light as the staff treats the young lady as one of their own and embrace her and the Count as family. Descriptions don't do this novel justice. It's beautifully written and filled with some of the best characters I have ever met on the written page. Utterly charming and may make my top 5 books of 2019.

House Arrest

I adored this freestyle young adult book. Timothy is on house arrest for a year. A whole year! All because he stole a wallet and used a credit card he found in it. And yes, stealing is bad. But is it so bad when you're stealing to help your baby brother? His brother is only a baby and already has a slew of problems; he has a trach in his neck and TONS of medical problems he needs a lot of help. Their dad walked out on them about a year ago so Timothy thought he was helping their mom out; their strapped for cash and the medical bills keep mounting. But now he's on house arrest and he has to keep a stupid journal to record his "feelings." Yeah he's feeling pretty annoyed. And angry. Angry at his stupid dad that left his mom to deal with his brother's medical problems. Angry that his stupid probation officer is always asking questions. Angry that his best friend complains about his dad who is clearly awesome. Timothy is angry at just about everything and everyone. Everyone except his cute lil' brother, Levi. Timothy would steal all the wallets in the world to keep Levi safe. Heart-wrenching and powerful. I couldn't put this book down.