Sharon Kay Penman News!

Her new book is titled Lionheart and will be released in October 2011. It picks up where Devil's Brood left off and chronicles the first part of Richard the Lionheart's rule as king of England.

Check out my author's spotlight on Sharon Kay Penman here.

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin

 By Erik Larson

I wasn't expecting to get as caught up in this book as I did, but I managed to finish In the Garden of Beasts within a single weekend.

This is my second Erik Larson book, the first being Devil in the White City, which chronicled the preparations for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and the simultaneous rise of a master serial killer.

Larson has a talent for bringing to life a specific time and place, usually through the story of a specific person. His books almost read like novels, but are rooted in history (with the endnotes to prove it).

In the Garden of Beasts tells the remarkable story of William E. Dodd's first year as America's ambassador to Hitler's Germany from 1933-1934 (Dodd would finally leave the post in 1937). Larson indicates he choose to focus on this year because "it coincided with Hitler's ascent from chancellor to absolute tyrant." Dodd brought his wife, son, and flirtatious daughter Martha with him.

William E. Dodd

Larson chooses to focus on Dodd and Martha to tell the story of what it was like for outsiders to see "firsthand the gathering dark of Hitler's rule." As the American ambassador Dodd entertained numerous high ranking Nazi officials in his home, and Martha became romantically involved with the first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels as well as a Russian spy.

Larson manages to bring Berlin to life, showing the reader how it would have looked to a young, naive, girl like Martha, who quickly became enamored with the handsome Nazi soldiers and the beautiful city she inhabited. Within a single year, Martha's wide-eyed idealism would be replaced with revulsion and fear.

Larson's account of Hitler's Night of the Long Knives was especially chilling and informative.

As Nazi violence continued to escalate Dodd would eventually refuse to entertain any Nazi's his home, but he would receive little to no support from Roosevelt's State Department.

Everyday Paleo

By Sarah Fragoso

I've recently taken up an interest in "primal" eating and cooking...which means no carbs, gluten, starches or legumes (and very little sugar). While searching the internet for more information I came across Sarah Fragoso's blog Everyday Paleo. The blog chronicles Fragoso's decision to start eating paleo with her three kids and husband. She posts a large number of delicious looking recipes (I've already tried a few) as well as a general breakdown of her paleo lifestyle for those who are curious.

Her cookbook of paleo recipes was published in April, and thus far I've enjoyed it. The food is simple and delicious. She also includes exercise plans and encouragement for those who may be hesitant to jump on the paleo bandwagon.

Jane Austen T-Shirt

Just saw this at the Bas Bleu website. It features the cover art from an early edition of Pride and Prejudice.

You can purchase it here.

Just Ordered!

My birthday is coming up and I decided it's time to get a Kindle! It will definitely help my reading habit during the commute to work, but I'm most looking forward to downloading books instantly.

Of course I decided to also get a skin as well as a leather cover.

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

Inspired by my recent reading of Suzanne Collin's young adult trilogy The Hunger Games I decided to try out another young adult work of fiction The Book Thief by Australian writer Markus Zusak. For those who are put off by the idea of a young adult novel, Zusak's writing is dense and poetic, it's obviously for more advanced readers.

The novel is set in Nazi Germany and is (aptly) narrated by Death. The story follows a young orphan Liesel Meminger and her life on Himmel Street with her foster parents. Liesel steals her first book just before arriving, and her kindly foster father soon teachers her how to read.

As the war unfolds, Liesel steals more books and develops friendships an assortment of strange characters: Max, the Jew hiding in her foster families' basement; local neighbor Rudy who infamously covered himself in black coal to emulate American sprinter Jesse Owens; and the grieving mayor's wife who assists Liesel in her book thieving in unexpected ways.

Zusak has created an engrossing story about a child that can find beauty during violent times. His use of Death as an omnipresent narrator works overall, because, as Zusak explains "Death is on hand to see all the terrible things humans do to each other."

Hiding in the Spotlight: A Musical Prodigy's Story of Survival, 1941-1946

By Greg Dawson

"I don't care what you do, just live."

Greg Dawson was an adult before he discovered that his mother (a Ukranian-born Jew) spent the entirety of World War Two hiding her Jewish identity as a piano prodigy playing for Nazi soldiers. Dawson, a journalist, decided to retrace his mother's life in order to tell her tale.

Zhanna Arkashyna's story is nothing less than remarkable. Living in relative peace in the Ukraine, Zhanna's life is drastically altered in a matter of months when Nazi Germany invades Russia in 1941. Stalin's propaganda machine controlled all news and media, which meant they were completely unprepared when the Germans invaded.

Rounding up all the Jews in her city, Zhanna and her family are sent on a forced march that eventually culminates in the killing of 15,000 Jews at the Dorbitsky Yar ravine. Desperate to saver her and her sister Frina, Zhanna's father manages to bribe a German guard, allowing the sisters to escape into the wilderness. Zhanna recounts his last words to her: "I don't care what you do, just live."

Relying on the kindness of strangers (who knew they could be shot and killed for helping Jews) Zhanna and Frina manage to create false identities, finally ending up at an orphanage. The sister's musical talent is discovered, and she and her sister a forced to perform for Nazi soldiers during the rest of the war. They are later moved to Berlin, staying just blocks from Hilter's headquarters.

While the wartime story was fascinating, it was the the sister's survival after the defeat of Germany I found to be the most interesting. As Russians, it was expected they would return to Russia, where Stalin was systematically killing any of his countrymen who happened to be captured by the Nazis. Their adoption by an American soldier and his wife allows them passage to America, where their caretakers set out to ensure they are provided with the opportunities to study at Juilliard. Zhanna would go on to marry a fellow musician, settling in Indiana to continue playing the piano and raise her family.