I just finished Erik Larson's latest, In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin. Just like another of Larson's books, The Devil in the White City, I was immediately struck with how well researched and written this book is, from start to finish. It is also very readable, and compelling (to the point that I found myself staying up very late trying to eek out a few more pages).
The book tells the story of William Dodd, his daughter Martha, son Bill and wife Mattie, who move to Berlin in 1933 as Dodd occupies the office of US Ambassator to Germany. The book follows the family through the next 4 years as they watch Germany transform under Hitler's rule. At first, Martha especially is in awe of the Nazi presence in Berlin. However, as events arise giving Hitler more and more power, she and the rest of her family become acutely aware of Hitler's intents and about the lack of effort by the rest of the world to stop what is happening in Germany.
I would highly recommend this book to any history buffs, especially those interested in WWII.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Long drought- and I'm back!!
A bunch of personal and work issues have prevented me from blogging for a while... but I'm back. Since my last blog post, I've been trying to keep a record of my reads on my new favorite website, goodreads.com. (http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5322997-becca)
I'm currently reading some great books:
1. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith. The 3rd book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Absolutely loving this series... a great portrait of Botswana.
2. A Red Herring with Mustard by Alan Bradley. The 3rd book in the Flavia de Luce series. Another wonderful mystery series.
3. About to start In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larsen.
Check back soon!! :)
I'm currently reading some great books:
1. Morality for Beautiful Girls by Alexander McCall Smith. The 3rd book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. Absolutely loving this series... a great portrait of Botswana.
2. A Red Herring with Mustard by Alan Bradley. The 3rd book in the Flavia de Luce series. Another wonderful mystery series.
3. About to start In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larsen.
Check back soon!! :)
Monday, March 7, 2011
Where do you find new titles to read?
I'm always looking out for good websites to find new books.
On Twitter, I follow:
NPR books, Huffington Post books, NYTimes books, amazon books, Barnes & Noble Book Clubs, Powell's books, SPL buzz (Seattle public library), kcls (King County Library), fridayreads and Nancy Pearl
On Facebook, I "like":
NPR books, Powell's books, Third Place Books, Elliot Bay Book Company, University Bookstore, Nancy Pearl (you'll see a theme with this), The Seattle Public Library and King County Library System
Websites I peruse:
Nancy Pearl's blog on nancypearl.com (though her old blog on the SPL website was so much more useful with book suggestions twice a month!!...oh, I miss it)
NPR's arts and life section
How do you find out about new titles and must reads?
On Twitter, I follow:
NPR books, Huffington Post books, NYTimes books, amazon books, Barnes & Noble Book Clubs, Powell's books, SPL buzz (Seattle public library), kcls (King County Library), fridayreads and Nancy Pearl
On Facebook, I "like":
NPR books, Powell's books, Third Place Books, Elliot Bay Book Company, University Bookstore, Nancy Pearl (you'll see a theme with this), The Seattle Public Library and King County Library System
Websites I peruse:
Nancy Pearl's blog on nancypearl.com (though her old blog on the SPL website was so much more useful with book suggestions twice a month!!...oh, I miss it)
NPR's arts and life section
How do you find out about new titles and must reads?
Book 1: Still Missing
Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
Let me start by saying that the night before my first of 7 straight 24 hour call days is usually an early to bed night. It takes a really gripping read to keep me going until 1am... and Still Missing fit the bill. I could not put it down! I will also say that this book is NOT for the faint of heart. There is some really graphic, disturbing content. But I really... liked... enjoyed...no, I really needed to finish this book. It was compelling.
The premise is a woman named Annie, a real estate agent in a small town on Vancouver Island who is finishing up yet another open house when she is abducted by a man she doesn't know. The story is told in a really intriguing fashion: through multiple sessions with her new psychiatrist after Annie is back to her "real life." The story is interwoven between the initial retelling of her ordeal with her kidnapper and the story of the aftermath all the way to the present day search for her kidnapper's identity.
Still Missing is the writing debut of author Chevy Stevens (whose second novel will be coming out this summer!!). It is not beautiful prose by any means, but she is a skillful story teller. I would totally recommend this book to my mystery/thriller/crime novel loving friends.
Anyone else read the book? Any topics come to mind for discussion?? I'd love to chat about this book...
Thanks for reading!!
Let me start by saying that the night before my first of 7 straight 24 hour call days is usually an early to bed night. It takes a really gripping read to keep me going until 1am... and Still Missing fit the bill. I could not put it down! I will also say that this book is NOT for the faint of heart. There is some really graphic, disturbing content. But I really... liked... enjoyed...no, I really needed to finish this book. It was compelling.
The premise is a woman named Annie, a real estate agent in a small town on Vancouver Island who is finishing up yet another open house when she is abducted by a man she doesn't know. The story is told in a really intriguing fashion: through multiple sessions with her new psychiatrist after Annie is back to her "real life." The story is interwoven between the initial retelling of her ordeal with her kidnapper and the story of the aftermath all the way to the present day search for her kidnapper's identity.
Still Missing is the writing debut of author Chevy Stevens (whose second novel will be coming out this summer!!). It is not beautiful prose by any means, but she is a skillful story teller. I would totally recommend this book to my mystery/thriller/crime novel loving friends.
Anyone else read the book? Any topics come to mind for discussion?? I'd love to chat about this book...
Thanks for reading!!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Current reads
Just completed:
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life (by Amy Krouse Rosenthal).
A memoir in alphabetical order, complete with quirky, snappy wit and spot on commentary. A very quick read, and an enjoyable snapshot into an "ordinary life."
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (by Aimee Bender).
For fans of magical realism with a pessimistic twist, a story of a girl who can taste the emotions of the cook in the food they prepare.
The Imperfectionists (by Tom Rachman)
The tale of a Rome-based English language newspaper, struggling to keep afloat during the era of the internet, with the stories of the current staff/readers interwoven with the story of the papers inception. Another quick read, great characters. Amazed that it was a debut novel!
If I Stay (by Gayle Forman)
A young adult, very short novel about a 17 year old girl who has just been in a car accident and is forced to decide whether to stay (live) or go (die). One of the best books I've read in a long time.
Currently reading:
Still Missing (by Chevy Stevens)- a psychological suspense novel, thus far very compelling (and scary).
Never Let Me Go (by Kazuo Ishiguro)- only three pages read, having trouble getting into the book. I've heard such good things that I'm trying to go by the Nancy Pearl rule: I must get 50 pages in before I give up.
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life (by Amy Krouse Rosenthal).
A memoir in alphabetical order, complete with quirky, snappy wit and spot on commentary. A very quick read, and an enjoyable snapshot into an "ordinary life."
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (by Aimee Bender).
For fans of magical realism with a pessimistic twist, a story of a girl who can taste the emotions of the cook in the food they prepare.
The Imperfectionists (by Tom Rachman)
The tale of a Rome-based English language newspaper, struggling to keep afloat during the era of the internet, with the stories of the current staff/readers interwoven with the story of the papers inception. Another quick read, great characters. Amazed that it was a debut novel!
If I Stay (by Gayle Forman)
A young adult, very short novel about a 17 year old girl who has just been in a car accident and is forced to decide whether to stay (live) or go (die). One of the best books I've read in a long time.
Currently reading:
Still Missing (by Chevy Stevens)- a psychological suspense novel, thus far very compelling (and scary).
Never Let Me Go (by Kazuo Ishiguro)- only three pages read, having trouble getting into the book. I've heard such good things that I'm trying to go by the Nancy Pearl rule: I must get 50 pages in before I give up.
Blogging for dummies
Why in the world am I starting a reading/book blog?
That's a great question. It's not like I'm an English literature major, a librarian, a teacher or anyone who can presume any real knowledge about books. The idea for this blog is the product of many "conversations" with my poor husband, who has patiently listened to me go on and on about the books I read. The unfortunate thing about these conversations is that they are rather one-sided: I talk, Sean listens. And though he is very polite about it, let's be honest: he doesn't read the books I read. Nor does he have any interest in doing so. And therefore, he listens to me expound on the interesting details I can't keep to myself- the content of the books I read, both the good parts and the bad. After many of these talks, Sean suggested that I join a book club. This is problematic because I lack the book club gene. I don't do well when I HAVE to read a book I may or may not like by a certain time and discuss it. That being said, I'm a person who loves loves loves books: reading books, looking at books, being in the presence of books and other bibliophiles. So, I've decided to start a blog about my love for reading. I plan on talking about books I've read or am in the process of reading and my impressions- good and bad. Join in the discussion if you're interested in the book... or don't. Also, if you have any suggestions for books I should read, I would definitely welcome them!!
Thanks for visiting!
That's a great question. It's not like I'm an English literature major, a librarian, a teacher or anyone who can presume any real knowledge about books. The idea for this blog is the product of many "conversations" with my poor husband, who has patiently listened to me go on and on about the books I read. The unfortunate thing about these conversations is that they are rather one-sided: I talk, Sean listens. And though he is very polite about it, let's be honest: he doesn't read the books I read. Nor does he have any interest in doing so. And therefore, he listens to me expound on the interesting details I can't keep to myself- the content of the books I read, both the good parts and the bad. After many of these talks, Sean suggested that I join a book club. This is problematic because I lack the book club gene. I don't do well when I HAVE to read a book I may or may not like by a certain time and discuss it. That being said, I'm a person who loves loves loves books: reading books, looking at books, being in the presence of books and other bibliophiles. So, I've decided to start a blog about my love for reading. I plan on talking about books I've read or am in the process of reading and my impressions- good and bad. Join in the discussion if you're interested in the book... or don't. Also, if you have any suggestions for books I should read, I would definitely welcome them!!
Thanks for visiting!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)