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Showing posts with label war. Show all posts
Showing posts with label war. Show all posts

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Review Sunday: All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr


Stand-alone to date

Goodreads Blurb:
"WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge."



Thursday, October 29, 2015

R&R Review Thursday: Where Can I Flee by A.M. Heath


Goodreads Blurb:
"War is on the horizon during the spring of 1861. It will be an event that will change the lives of everyone in its path. The Harper family included.

Frank Harper is a young man full of dreams and ambitions. Even when the country is split and war breaks out, Frank will do whatever is necessary to see his dreams come true, even when that means putting on a uniform and leaving home.

For the first time, Claire Harper is forced to consider the reasons behind such a conflict. Should slavery be abolished? Which side should she be on, and what does God have to say about this? Claire is torn between her own opinions and those of her family. The struggle within her only increases when she repeatedly runs into a kind and handsome Union soldier. She longs to see her brother turn to Christ before it is too late. Desperate to reach her brother with the gospel, Claire pens a series of inspiring letters. Will she be able to handle all the obstacles of war and continue to be a witness to those around her?

How long can Claire last when her heart is torn in half and she is burdened for her brother's soul? How long can Frank resist his sister's urgent pleas or the gentle tugging from within? Can a man outrun a holy God?"

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Updated Review Tuesday: Warzone: Nemesis by Morris E. Graham


Warzone: Nemesis #1 (Volume 2 won't be out for another couple of years)

Goodreads Blurb:
"The space race was a lie, and the cold war wasn’t as cold as you thought. While we were playing spy versus spy, conducting an arms race and a space race on Earth, things were heating up in the solar system.

In 1959, an alien vessel crashed on the Navajo reservation, ushering forth a colonial space race in the solar system between the two superpowers. The prize is the mysterious metal known only as alloy-x and the alien technology that promises to make one nation or the other the dominant superpower in the arms race. The American commander finds himself fighting with the toughest antagonist of his career. He had finally met his nemesis. The stakes are high. Losing the struggle could tip the balance of power on the Earth, giving the Soviets the advantage in Earth’s cold war."

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Review Sunday: Tell No One Who You Are: The Hidden Childhood of Regine Miller by Walter Buchignani and Regine Miller


Goodreads Blurb:
"During the days of Nazi terror in Europe, many Jewish children were taken from their families and hidden. Régine Miller was one such child, who left her mother, father, and brother when she was 10 years old. Utterly alone as she is shunted from place to place, told to tell no one she is Jewish, she hears that her mother and brother have been taken by the SS, the German secret police. Only her desperate hope that her father will return sustains her. At war’s end she must learn to live with the terrible truth of “the final solution,” the Nazi’s extermination camps.

The people who sheltered Régine cover a wide spectrum of human types, ranging from callous to kind, fearful to defiant, exploitive to caring. This is a story of a brave girl and an equally brave woman to tell the story so many years later."


Sunday, March 1, 2015

Review Sunday: Prodigy by Marie Lu


Goodreads Blurb:
"Injured and on the run, it has been seven days since June and Day barely escaped Los Angeles and the Republic with their lives. Day is believed dead having lost his own brother to an execution squad who thought they were assassinating him. June is now the Republic's most wanted traitor. Desperate for help, they turn to the Patriots - a vigilante rebel group sworn to bring down the Republic. But can they trust them or have they unwittingly become pawns in the most terrifying of political games?"

Friday, December 26, 2014

R&R Book Review and Interview Friday: Warzone: Nemesis by Morris E. Graham



Goodreads Blurb:
"The space race was a lie, and the cold war wasn’t as cold as you thought. While we were playing spy versus spy, conducting an arms race and a space race on Earth, things were heating up in the solar system.

In 1959, an alien vessel crashed on the Navajo reservation, ushering forth a colonial space race in the solar system between the two superpowers. The prize is the mysterious metal known only as alloy-x and the alien technology that promises to make one nation or the other the dominant superpower in the arms race. The American commander finds himself fighting with the toughest antagonist of his career. He had finally met his nemesis. The stakes are high. Losing the struggle could tip the balance of power on the Earth, giving the Soviets the advantage in Earth’s cold war."


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Book Review Tuesday: Clara's War by Clara Kramer


Goodreads Blurb:
"On 21 July 1942 the Nazis invaded Poland. In the small town of Zolkiew, life for Jewish 15-year-old Clara Kramer was never to be the same again. While those around her were either slaughtered or transported, Clara and her family hid perilously in a hand-dug cellar. Living above and protecting them were the Becks.

Mr Beck was a womaniser, a drunkard and a self-professed anti-Semite, yet he risked his life throughout the war to keep his charges safe. Nevertheless, life with Mr Beck was far from predictable. From the house catching fire, to Beck's affair with Clara's cousin, to the nightly SS drinking sessions in the room just above, Clara's War transports you into the dark, cramped bunker, and sits you next to the families as they hold their breath time and again.

Sixty years later, Clara Kramer has created a memoir that is lyrical, dramatic and heartbreakingly compelling. Despite the worst of circumstances, this is a story full of hope and survival, courage and love."


Thursday, July 31, 2014

Book Review: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson


Goodreads Blurb:
"On a cold and snowy night in 1910, Ursula Todd is born, the third child of a wealthy English banker and his wife. Sadly, she dies before she can draw her first breath. On that same cold and snowy night, Ursula Todd is born, lets out a lusty wail, and embarks upon a life that will be, to say the least, unusual. For as she grows, she also dies, repeatedly, in any number of ways. Clearly history (and Kate Atkinson) have plans for her: In Ursula rests nothing less than the fate of civilization.

Wildly inventive, darkly comic, startlingly poignant — this is Kate Atkinson at her absolute best, playing with time and history, telling a story that is breathtaking for both its audacity and its endless satisfactions."

Review:
I read this book as part of a challenge in one of my GR groups because I needed to read a book that started with L.  Can I just say how glad I am that I picked this book?  Not because it was amazingly good, but because I never would have picked it up if not for that challenge.

It was a good book that brought up a lot of excellent questions about the paradox of the space-time continuum but it was quite confusing in the beginning.   I actually didn't get the concept until about page 150.  Don't get me wrong, it was an amazing story before that point but I just didn't get the overall picture/point until that page.  Once I hit that point, I was totally immersed for the rest of the book.  I especially loved the tie-up in the last 30ish pages.  It was a really nice ending without actually ending the book (read it and you'll get it).

Another thing about this book: there was absolutely no fluff.  This is literature (or at least my version of it) so YA lovers beware.  It's deep and complicated and not an easy read but if you have the patience, you'll love it.

This book introduced a very interesting concept however I think the author could have made more of an effort to make the plot clearer in the beginning to provide a better hook.  It was completely mind-bending.  Sometimes too much so.

The Final Verdict:
A very good book with an interesting concept if you can stick it out.  It does get a bit confusing and mind-bending at first (well... really all throughout...) but overall, a well written book.
3 stars!

Quotes:
“Ursula craved solitude but she hated loneliness, a conundrum that she couldn’t even begin to solve.”  


“I feel as if I’m waiting for something dreadful to happen, and then I realize it already has.”  

“He was born a politician.
No, Ursula thought, he was born a baby, like everyone else. And this is what he has chosen to become.” 

“It was a long time ago now. And it was yesterday.” 

“You must never believe everything they say about a person. Generally speaking, most of it will be lies, half-truths at best.”

“What if we had a chance to do it again and again, until we finally did get it right? Wouldn't that be wonderful?”

Friday, July 11, 2014

Book Review: The Book Thief by Mark Zusak


Goodreads Blurb:
It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery.

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids - as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.


Yes, I've finally read The Book Thief!  I cheated though... About halfway through the book, I watched the movie.  I almost didn't pick the book back up again because of the ending!  Don't worry though, it's a good ending - really :)  So with that confession aside, let's get to the book review.

This book is most definitely an onion book.  It took me like 2 months to read (which is a lifetime for me and books) to even try and decipher the most prevalent of meanings.  You can choose to dig deep or swim on the surface.  The level at which you read is entirely up to you.

I actually finished this book a while back but it took me a while to collect my thoughts to write a coherent review.

This was a captivating book, but at the same time, I found myself reluctant to pick it up.  I'm still not sure why.  Maybe because it felt like I was truly there.  That's happened before while I've been reading a book, but this one is special.  Every painful moment, I was wincing along with the characters.  In almost every other book I read, I know that the main character will survive and the person he/she loves and they'll be okay even though some of their friends may die or move on.  Not in this book.  This book felt so much like real life that it also picked up the uncertainties of real life.  You don't kno whow things will play out or end up.  It may be wrong of me, but that's why I docked half a star.  It's still going on my favorite list though - don't worry :)

The thing I love most about this book is that it's from Death's perspective.  I've never read a book like that before.  It added a whole new element to the story which pushed it to the next level.

While reading, I got to know the characters so well.  This certainly isn't a fast read, but it's a deep one.  I wish more books connected with me like this one did so well.  It may have taken a long time to read, but every second was worth it.

This is a totally ordinary story.  But it's also so extraordinary.  Read it and you'll know what I mean.

This isn't a shallow story about a girl who lives in Germany during WWII.  You can certainly read it that way but I prefer it as something more.  That something is going to be different for everyone which is what makes this book so amazing.  If you haven't read The Book Thief yet, I strongly encourage you to.

4.5 out of 5 stars!



“The only thing worse than a boy who hates you: a boy that loves you.” 

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” “I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” 

“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality. But what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race-that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.” 

“Even death has a heart.” 

“A snowball in the face is surely the perfect beginning to a lasting friendship.” 

“Usually we walk around constantly believing ourselves. "I'm okay" we say. "I'm alright". But sometimes the truth arrives on you and you can't get it off. That's when you realize that sometimes it isn't even an answer--it's a question. Even now, I wonder how much of my life is convinced.” 

“A small but noteworthy note. I've seen so many young men over the years who think they're running at other young men. They are not. They are running at me.” 

“I am haunted by humans.” 
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