Our August Favorite Reads: Fiction and Non-Fiction

We both agree that two books we read last month stand out that we both liked which are One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf and January First by Michael Schofield (nonfiction).

One Breath Away

Karen's review, rating 5 stars:
One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf is really, really good! It is fast-paced and realistic contemporary fiction with characters that are very believable. It grabbed my attention right from the start and never let me go! The hostage situation at the small school in a fictional small town in Iowa is described so well, I could feel what the characters were feeling. It kept me guessing who the gunman was right until he was revealed. I’m sure because this story is told from five different people, there is at least one that you will identify with. For me, I identified with the teacher—determined to protect her students from the gunman while thinking about her husband. The teen girl’s unwavering desire to protect her brother was both touching and heartwarming. It shows how a crisis can bring families closer. I highly recommend One Breath Away—it even has a dog in it!

Gerard's review, rating 5 stars:
In One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf, a lone gunman takes over a small classroom holding the teacher and pupils hostage. What made this book so good in my opinion is that it is told by five people as the novel is ongoing. I got to know their thought and background to understand what led up to this point. The writing is superb. If you want riveting, this is it! I could hardly put it down and kept saying how good it was while reading it. Oh, and good luck trying to figure out who the gunman is—I was completely surprised! To sum it up, it doesn’t get any better than this—don’t let this one get past you!

January First

Gerard's review, rating 5++ stars:
January First by Michael Schofield tells the true and ongoing story of Janni Schofield who has Schizophrenia. It is told by her dad, Michael. This is a fantastic read! You talk about a page turner—I really had a hard time putting this down. You will not read many books like this! Good luck, Janni, I'm praying for you and your family. This is a must read!

Karen's review, 5 stars:
January First by Michael Schofield is the true story of his daughter’s descent into madness and his struggle to save her. At just three years old, his daughter, Janni had hallucinations and symptoms of Schizophrenia, although it took several years for the official diagnosis. He shares his heart-wrenching story of how he and his wife were actually afraid of their sweet little girl because of her violent outbursts. She would hit her parents, her dog and often tried to hit her younger brother. Reading this, I felt sorry for Janni, her parents, her teachers and her brother. It is a very sad story of a family who fought so hard to be a normal family, but couldn’t. The husband and wife both love Janni very much but often found themselves disagreeing as to how best to help her. Fortunately, it seems they found some hope at the end of the tunnel. If you want to read an inspiring story of parents who don’t give up through difficult times, I recommend this book to you. Wow!


Share this: