The Wives of Los Alamos

When I started reading this book, the writing style bothered me.  It was written in a collective voice, "we arrived, we traveled, we kept secrets".  I quickly got past it and I really loved this book.  We (see what I did there) all know the story of Los Alamos.  Some of us may have even watched the amazing tv series Manhattan.  Have you ever thought about what it was like for the wives and children of the scientists who were sequestered in the middle of the desert for years? This book tells the stories of those wives.  The symbolism of the one voice is exactly perfect for this story. I highly recommend.

Freud's Mistress by Karen Mack and Jennifer Kaufman

Ehh.  This was good.  But I would have liked more details about Freud and what he thought and where it came from.  This book went deep into the mistress's thoughts, etc. which are clearly conjecture and very little into historical events, facts, and reality. 
It is interesting that Freud had a relationship with his sister-in-law.  She lived in their house for 40 years and helped his wife raise her 6 children.  The authors even make the claim that she had an abortion at some point.  However, I kind of hate when books try to re-write or create history for us. 

The Buddah in the Attic by Julie Otsuka

This book is a collection of short stories or essays on the lives of women who came here from Japan as mail order brides.  It was interesting and sad and ultimately forgettable.

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

You need to read this book.  Every person on the planet needs to read this book.  This  book will change your views of your life and what it means to be free..  It will make you feel guilty about what you have and every complaint you have ever voiced or even thought.  It is the story of ordinary people in Korea and what it is like to live under a Communist dictator.  It details the struggle to survive amidst a country-wide famine.  You will learn things you were never taught in school and that are never mentioned on television.  You will wonder why you had no idea that this is going on.  It is a great book.

The Zoo Keeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

This was February's Book club book.  I would say that most of the group really enjoyed it.  It is the true story of a Polish family who ran the Warsaw zoo and hid numerous Jews within the zoo to save them from the holocaust.  It was a fascinating story but was told oddly.  The author would spend page after page on the minutae of the animal world and then in one sentence would gloss over a story of human tragedy or courage.  So much of the book I found myself thinking, WAIT!  Tell me more about that!!  Overall it is well worth the read and would inspire me to read more about particular incidents.  A good gateway book.

Sybil Exposed by Debbie Nathan

Apparently, there are 5 people in America who don't know who Sybil was. (Yes, my husband is one.) This is the story of Shirley Mason a/k/a Sybil, her psychologist and the journalist who wrote their story. It is fascinating and contains many details that you have never heard of. It provides background on the mental health profession at the time and how Shirley came to be diagnosed. It delves into the background of all three women and exposes the real horror that lies behind the story of Sybil. READ THIS BOOK.

A Simple Act of Violence by R.J. Ellory

There is a LOT going on in this book. If you don't like complicated, run. I have even seen references to this book as 'Literature'. This is the story of a cop, hunting a serial killer with victims who are not what they appear to be. However, it's not really about that at all. It's complicated.

None of the victims exist. They have social security numbers that don't match their names, no family, no friends, no previous addresses. I am not sure how much of this story is factual, but if it is, it's highly disturbing.

Maisie Dobbs (series) by Jacqueline Winspear

It is rare for me to come across a series such as this having NEVER heard of it before. I LOVE THESE BOOKS!! There are 8 and I read all 7. The newest just came out and I have it on hold and I can't wait to read it. If you like Alexander McCall Smith you will love these books. (As a side note, WHY have I not blogged any Alexander McCall Smith?).

Maisie Dobbs is a young woman of meager means. She is the daughter of a vegetable vendor in pre-WWI England. Upon the death of her mother, she goes into service as a housemaid of a weathly family. The family recognizes her uneducated intelligence and assists her in gaining an education. She comes under the tutelage of Maurice Blanche who is a doctor, an expert in forensics and an investigator. Maisie apprentices under Maurice and then becomes and investigator and psychologist on her own. The books follow her personal life and the cases she takes on. They include flashbacks and memories of the Great War, in which Maisie served as a nurse and lost her great love. It is a fascinating look at war and its continuing effects on society, relationships and people. It shows how out of the War, huge opportunities became available for the lower classes and women. I LOVE THESE BOOKS. :)

Icebergs by Rebecca Johns

In WWII, a plane goes down on the icy, desolate coast of Canada. Two of the Canadian airmen aboard survive. They begin a trek to make it back to safety, only one will make it.

This book follows the families of the two men from that time until current day. The two wives had become friends while the men were missing and the survivor was recuperating. They both of children, move to America and their lives continue to intermingle. A lot of questions are raised as to how all their lives would have been different if the other man had also survived or if their fates had reversed.

This book was good and the writing is similar to her other book The Countess (which I preferred). Her style is a bit heavy and drags a bit. Of course, I have said that a lot lately so it may be more my state of mind than the author's writing style.

the Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark

In the 17th century, there were two views on the cause of birth defects. One, that the child was a monster cursed by God, the other, that the mother of the child had suffered a shock that imprinted itself on the unborn child.

A doctor who has a large birth mark on his face is determined to prove that it was his mothers fault that he is marked. She apparently witnessed a massive fire while pregnant.

The doctor's method of proving himself correct is to torment pregnant women and then study their children. Brought under his control is Eliza, a 16 year old sent to him as a maid after becoming pregnant with the child of a wealthy merchant who is paying to keep her out of the way.

This book is dark and mysterious and drags a bit. I liked it more for the background than for the actual story. I think I would have preferred a non-fiction book concerning the same subject matter. It was good though. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood for this type of book as it is a bit heavy.

The Countess by Rebecca Johns

Based on the true history of Erszebet Bathory, this book is so good. It reminded me a bit of Serena by Ron Rash (will have to check if I blogged that one). The book starts as the Countess is being walled into a room in her tower as punishment for the multiple murders she has committed. It then flashes back in time to recount her life and how she ended up where she did. At its core it is the life of a psychopath and endlessly fascinating. Liked it a lot and will definitely be checking out her first novel Icebergs.

The Queen of Hereafter by Susan Fraser King

Did you know that Queen Mary of Scotland is a Saint? She was married to King Malcolm who killed Macbeth. This book was really interesting. In it, Mary becomes a friend to her Lady in Waiting Eva who is sent to court as a hostage, a bard and a spy to the Queen. The story follows life at the court, Eva's conflicted loyalty to her family and to the Queen, and Mary's struggles. Mary would have rather been a nun than a queen. It is a good history lesson and I learned a ton about a period of time I know virtually nothing about. It did want me to go re-read some Shakespeare though.

Heidegger's Glasses

This book is best described as surreal. In fact, it reminded me of another book I blogged that I am going to have to go look up under the 'surreal' tag.

This is the story of a group of people, saved from the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, in order to translate. They were supposed to respond to letters sent to those who had been killed, displaced and disappeared in the Holocaust. (As far as I can research online, this was a creation of the author's imagination, but the Nazi's did do a bunch of really bizarre (and horrific) things).

The 'Scribes' live in a abandoned mine that has weirdly been remodeled into a Disneyland-like fake village. Also at the village are their Nazi guards and a woman, Elie who is the one who forages out into the world for food, supplies, orders from Nazi headquarters, etc. Elie also happens to be a member of the Resistance who saves those bound for the death camps. This book was fascinating and heartbreaking and you should read it. Being obsessive, like I am, I will no doubt pick up a million other books that relate to this.

The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

I started this book, set it aside and then tried again. I really really liked this book. Set in the midst of the Vietnam war, a young woman has set out to become a female photojournalist. She is there, in part, to uncover the truth of her brother's death. She meets a man, falls in love (or something), suffers through his death, the death of friends, the collapse of a nation and the turmoil of war.

In some ways it is darker than this description and some it is lighter. It is about love and loss and war and horror.

Leaving Earth: A Novel by Helen Humphreys

Lately, I seem to be reading a lot of books with :A Novel as part of their title. Not sure what that's about.

This book is about 2 women who are trying to beat a stamina record for time in flight. It seems about the turn of the century, there were constant contest as to who could fly the fastest, the furthest, the highest and the longest. It was an interesting story of the dynamic between the two women who stay in flight for 18 days straight. There are side-stories of a young girl who is fascinated by the 'girl fliers' and the husband of one of the flyers. It was an interesting read about a period of time that I do not know much about. It really made me want to find out if the characters are fictional and who they are based upon. I think it could lead to some really great discussions.

How do I love Thee? by Nancy Moser

I loved this book. It was very dark but fascinating. Elizabeth Barret Browning was a famous poet in England but lived a very strange life. Her father had decided that none of his children (8 in total, I think) should get married. Elizabeth, or Ba, was a recluse and rarely went out of her home. She became acquainted with Robert Browning through letters and finally agreed to meet him (after 3 years). They quickly fell in love and Browning finally convinced her to flee from her father and marry him. Most known for her love sonnets to Browning, Elizabeth wrote these for herself and never intended them to be shown to anyone. A beautiful story. It is a fictionalized biography of the famous poet and really really interesting.

Hunting Eichmann by Neal Bascomb

Subtitle: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World's Most Notorious Nazi.

I LOVED this book but it was a hard read. It is all about how the young Israeli intelligence office captured Adolf Eichmann. The most interesting part of this book to me was the realization by the Israelis about how ordinary evil can be. Here was a man who masterminded the transportation of MILLIONS of people to be exterminated and he was just a sad, little, ordinary man.

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

The interwoven TRUE stories of Marconi (the inventor of the wireless telegraph) and Crippen a very 'unlikely' murderer. Marconi is obsessed with his invention and stops at nothing to see it implemented. Crippen is a very ordinary man who probably (but maybe not) killed his wife, dressed his mistress as a boy and then fled with her across the ocean to America. Marconi's invention helped catch him. This book was good but a hard read. It took me forever to get through it. It was very educational and parts of it will really stick with me but it dragged in parts.