The Book: Impatient with Desire, by Gabrielle Burton
The Story: Like most people, I had heard of the Donnor Party. I knew that they were in wagons on the way out west, got trapped and ended up eating each other. That is exactly where my knowlege ended.
This book is the story of how this party of [...]
The Book: Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky
The Story: This is the first two parts of a planned 5 part novel. Before she could finish her work, Irene Nemirovsky was taken to a concentration camp where she was killed. She was writing a novel about WWII while it was happening, making this one of (if not [...]
The Book: Skeletons at the Feast, by Chris Bohjalian
The Story: This is the book that I was talking about in my review of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, this is a WWII book written from the perspective of Germans. Pretty different from most novels out there that [...]
The Book: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne
The Story: Bruno is a young boy living in Germany during WWII. His father is a higher-up and Hitler (who he calls, “the Fury”) has had dinner at their house. During this dinner, Bruno’s father gets a promotion. Soon after, the family moves. Bruno is [...]
The Book: The English Patient, by Michael Ondaatje
The Story: World War II has ended. Hana, an exhausted, devoted nurse stays in this Italian villa to care for an unnamed, English patient who is straight covered with burns. Over time, Carvaggio, a thief who was also injured during the war, and Kip, a bomb defuser (sapper) [...]
The Book: The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red, edited by Joyce Reardon, Ph. D.
The Story: This is the diary of a young woman living in Seattle around the turn of the century. She is courted by and then marries a rich oil tycoon named John Rimbauer. He is in the process [...]
January 31, 2010 – 8:34 am
The Book: The Help, by Kathryn Stockett
The Story: This is the story of the 1960’s in the deep south. More specifically what it was like to be a black maid during this time of racial upheaval. There are three points of view represented: an older maid who is alone in the world after white bosses [...]
January 10, 2010 – 8:43 am
The Book: The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski
The Story: Despite all the hype that this book got, I went into it knowing very little. I knew it was about dogs and that it was based on the play Hamlet. Now, I know we did Hamlet in school, but I don’t remember that much. [...]
January 7, 2010 – 4:28 pm
The Book: World Without End, by Ken Follett
The Story: Not entirely sure where to start with this one. This is the companion to Pillars of the Earth, which was another giant of a book. Really the similarities end at the fact that they take place in the same town, Kingsbridge. There were a few references [...]
December 13, 2009 – 11:16 am
The Book: The Moon Looked Down, by Dorothy Garlock
The Story: During the onset of WWII, the Hellers move from Germany to Victory, Illinois. The family lives there for several years before any discrimination begins, but once it starts, they really get crazy. Their barn is burnt down, the family members are physically assaulted, and [...]