Lynn's List (November 30, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading! A very short list this week.

• Avenue of Spies: A True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One American Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Paris by Alex Kershaw
• Gods and Generals: A Novel of the Civil War (Civil War Trilogy #1) by Jeff Shaara
• Katrina's Wings by Patricia Hickman
• Redemption: A Story of Sisterhood, Survival, and Finding Freedom Behind Bars by Stacey Lannert
• Neecey's Lullaby: A novel by Cris Burks
• You Don't Want To Know by Lisa Jackson
• Accidental Heroes: A Novel by Danielle Steel
• Les Misérables: A Novel by Victor Hugo
• Crime Scene: A Novel (Clay Edison #1) by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
• March Violets: A Bernie Gunther Novel (Bernie Gunther #1) by Philip Kerr
• Suspicion by Joseph Finder
• Blood Sisters: A Novel by Jane Corry
• All the Lives We Never Lived by Anuradha Roy
• At the Edge: Alpha Crew Part 1 (Alpha Crew #1) by Laura Griffin
• The Water Is Wide: A Memoir by Pat Conroy
• The Secret River (Historical Trilogy Ser. #1) by Kate Grenville
• The Lieutenant: A Novel (Historical Trilogy Ser. #2) by Kate Grenville
• Sarah Thornhill: Roman (Historical Trilogy Ser. #3) by Kate Grenville
• The Facts of Life and Death by Belinda Bauer
• Inside the O'Briens: A Novel by Lisa Genova
• Surrender, New York: A Novel by Caleb Carr
• William Cooper's Town: Power And Persuasion On The Frontier Of The Early American Republic by Alan Taylor
• The Last Policeman: A Novel (The Last Policeman Trilogy #1) by Ben Winters
• Countdown City: The Last Policeman Book II (The Last Policeman Trilogy #2) by Ben Winters
• World of Trouble: The Last Policeman Book III (The Last Policeman Trilogy #3) by Ben Winters

Review: Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller

Title: Anne Frank: The Biography
Author: Melissa Müller

Publisher: Picador
Publication Date: September 15, 1999 (first published 1998)
Edition: paperback (352 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• History
• World War II

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Anne Frank is a name many readers know well. In the summer of 1942, she went into hiding, along with her immediate family, to avoid being deported to a Nazi concentration camp. During that time, she kept a diary chronicling the events of her life. A little over two years later, she and her family were discovered, arrested and deported to death camps. Melissa Müller has written Anne's biography.

I found this biography most interesting. Not only does it contain many of Anne Frank's diary entries, it also expands upon the details of her life, friends, family and those who helped the Frank family while in hiding. It also provides a detailed account of what became of those most closely associated with Anne following World War II.

I first read "The Diary of Anne Frank" as a young girl and have reread it several times since. It is a book that has always stayed with me, close to my heart. Anyone with an interest in this subject will find this biography interesting, I think. I recommend it, and will revisit again.

Review: Avenue of Spies: A True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One American Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Paris by Alex Kershaw

Title: Avenue of Spies: A True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One American Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Paris
Author: Alex Kershaw
Publisher: Broadway Books
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Edition: ebook (320 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• France
• History
• World War II

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

Doctor Summer Jackson is an American doctor at the American Hospital in Nazi occupied Paris during World War II. He is married to a French woman, and together they have a twelve-year-old son. Appalled at the Nazi treachery and occupation, they decide to work for the French resistance. It is dangerous, life threatening work--compounded by not knowing who is a true resister and who is, in reality, a Nazi collaborator and informer. Philip, their son, knows something is going on and wants to help where and how he can. He too is doing his part, but keeping his actions quiet so his parents will not worry even more about his safety or find out.

This true story is full of intrigue and the life and death of war and Nazi atrocities. It is heartbreaking and thrilling at the same time.

I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in WWII, an interest in history, or who just wants to read a good story that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Review: Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Title: Leadership: In Turbulent Times
Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin
Publisher: Simon Schuster
Publication Date: September 18, 2018
Edition: ebook (496 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Biography
• History
• Politics
• Presidents

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian and author, profiles four United States Presidents in terms of their leadership qualities. She has written extensively about these men: Abraham Lincoln; Theodore Roosevelt; Franklin Roosevelt; and Lyndon Johnson. She examines each one with respect to the leadership qualities they brought to the office of President of the United States, during turbulent times.

Having read some of her other books, I found this one as instructive, interesting and informative as the others. Perhaps more so because of the political environment and partisanship the United States is experiencing currently. As I read, I found myself totally engaged with the lives and struggles of each President, their difficult choices, and the strengths and weaknesses each one brought to the office.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in leadership qualities. What makes a leader? What leaders must do to lead? Those questions aside, the book is an interesting read simply from a historical perspective. It's a book I shall revisit again.

Review: The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Title: The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Author: Kim Edwards

Publisher: Penguin Books
Publication Date: May 30, 2006 (first published June 23rd 2005)
Edition: ebook (432 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Adult Fiction

My Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Doctor David Henry delivers his own twins on a stormy night in 1964. Paul, born first, is perfect. Phoebe, born second, has Down syndrome. David Henry asks his nurse to take baby Phoebe to an institution and plans never to tell Nora, his wife, that she is alive. The ramifications of this secret and his decision have far-reaching consequences for everyone. This story is about those consequences and also about the nurturing power of love and acceptance.

I enjoyed this story so much. Though it was not always a happy one, and though it had many sad moments, it was emotionally compelling. It made me think. It made me feel. It made me cry. It touched my heart.

I made the mistake of reading a couple of reviews prior to reading this book, and I almost didn't read it because of them. So glad I gave the book a chance. I will likely revisit it again.

Lynn's List (November 23, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading! A very short list this week.

• Slightly South of Simple: A Novel (The Peachtree Bluff Series #1) by Kristy Woodson Harvey
• The Lying Game: A Novel by Ruth Ware
• Unraveling Oliver: A Novel by Liz Nugent
• The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Review: Becoming by Michelle Obama

Title: Becoming
Author: Michelle Obama
Publisher: Crown
Publication Date: November 13, 2018
Edition: ebook (480 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• Autobiography
• Memoir
• Politics

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Becoming" chronicles the remarkable life journey of a remarkable woman, Michelle Obama. From her childhood, on the south side of Chicago, to the White House, she writes about her journey--ups, downs, hopes, dreams and experiences. She has so many gifts, including the ability to write an interesting, inspiring and thought provoking autobiography. I call it brilliant.

This book was worth the wait. I've admired Michelle and Barack Obama since they stepped on to the world stage. Their grace, character, leadership and caring still brings tears to my eyes, when I think about it. I've always felt an affinity with Michelle Obama even though I'm white. Reading this book, I now understand why that is. We were raised by parents with similar values and given every opportunity to succeed because of parents who invested everything they had in us.

This book is a great read. Even if you disagree with the political perspective, you may find that some of what you have been fed by right-wing media simply isn't true. And, this book is instructive on multiple levels, especially when it comes to the triumph over adversity and the inhumanity of man.

Lynn's List (November 16, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• Becoming by Michelle Obama
• The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel
• The McKettrick Christmas Collection: An Anthology (McKettrick Women) by Michelle Major and Linda Lael Miller
• Daughters of War: A gripping historical novel of love and loss by Lizzie Page
• Aftermath by Clara Kensie
• The River Wild: A Thriller by Denis O'Neill
• Pickett's Charge: A New Look at Gettysburg’s Final Attack by Ph.D. Phillip Thomas Tucker
• The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism by John U. Bacon
• The Orchid Girls: A completely gripping psychological thriller by Lesley Sanderson
• The Boys in the Cave: Deep Inside the Impossible Rescue in Thailand by Matt Gutman
• Tell Her No Lies by Kelly Irvin

Lynn's List (November 9, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• In The Shadows Of War: An American Pilot's Odyssey Through Occupied France And The Camps Of Nazi Germany by Thomas Childers
• The Penny Poet of Portsmouth: A Memoir Of Place, Solitude, and Friendship by Katherine Towler
• The Letter Bearer: A Novel by Robert Allison
• Someone Else's Love Story: A Novel by Joshilyn Jackson
• Running Scared by Lisa Jackson
• Border City Blues 3-Book Bundle: Riverside Drive / Maiden Lane / Prospect Avenue (Border City Blues) by Michael Januska
• A Narrow Bridge: A Novel by J. J. Gesher
• Lightfoot by Nicholas Jennings
• Autobiography of Mother Jones by Clarence Darrow, Mary Field Parton, and Mary Harris Jones
• Ludie's Song by Dirlie Herlihy

Review: The Reckoning by John Grisham

Title: The Reckoning
Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: October 23, 2018
Edition: ebook (432 pages)
Genres:

• Fiction
• Historical Fiction
• Mystery

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

The town of Clanton, Mississippi, loves its favorite son, Pete Banning. He has returned from WWII a war hero--having survived unspeakable horrors and presumed dead. But, one morning he has his usual breakfast with his sister and then goes into town to his church and murders his pastor. His family, friends and the people of Clanton do not know what to make of their war hero doing this. His family is devastated and also at a loss to explain his actions. And he will not explain either. The consequences of this are far reaching.

In my opinion, "The Reckoning" is John Grisham at his very best. The book is part mystery, historical, World War II related, and chronicles race relations during the 1940s in the south. Though fictional, it reads like real life. I was immediately caught up in the lives of the characters, not to mention the time period.

I have read several of Mr. Grisham's books, and I think this is my favorite, to date. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a great and brilliantly written story. There is a lot of description of the atrocities of war, so also be prepared for that.

Lynn's List (November 2, 2018)

Each Friday I publish a list of titles I have come across, during the past week, that I find interesting. Happy reading!

• William Tecumseh Sherman: In The Service Of My Country: A Life by James Lee Mcdonough
• The Outsider by Penelope Williamson
• Sacrifice: A Chilling Psychological Thriller (Lena Peters Ser. #1) by Hanna Winter
• White Gardenia by Belinda Alexandra
• Almost Citizens: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Constitution, and Empire (Studies in Legal History) by Sam Erman
• Chosen by a Horse: A Memoir by Susan Richards
• The Constitution Demands It: The Case for the Impeachment of Donald Trump by Ron Fein, John Bonifaz, Ben Clements, and John Nichols
• The Marginalized Majority: Claiming Our Power in a Post-Truth America by Onnesha Roychoudhuri
• How Does It Feel to Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America by Moustafa Bayoumi
• Green: A Novel by Sam Graham-Felsen
• The Reckoning: A Novel by John Grisham
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: A Political Life by Robert Dallek
• In the Hurricane's Eye: The Genius of George Washington and the Victory at Yorktown by Nathaniel Philbrick

Review: The Bermuda Triangle: An Incredible Saga of Unexplained Disappearances by Charles Frambach Berlitz

Title: The Bermuda Triangle: An Incredible Saga of Unexplained Disappearances
Author: Charles Frambach Berlitz
Publisher: Doubleday & Company, Inc.
Publication Date: 1974 (first published 1973)
Edition: Hardcover, First Edition (203 pages)
Genres:

• Nonfiction
• History
• Science

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

The author describes and discusses an area known as the Bermuda triangle, an area of the Atlantic ocean located between Florida and Bermuda. Since 1945, over 1,000 people and numerous planes and ships have vanished, many without a trace.

There are many theories in circulation about the Bermuda triangle. Some think it is mere coincidence that people, planes and ships have disappeared in this area. Others think it has to do with the magnetic pull of the earth's gravitation. Yet others think it is an area of UFO activity. This book, though written over four decades ago, provides a well-written historical perspective as well as an account of many of the incidents that occurred in this area up to 1973.

The other thing I found so interesting about this book is the discussion concerning the actions of mankind and the possible ramifications for our future beyond the 1970s. It makes for interesting reading, since many thing discussed in this book are now coming to pass. If you have an interest in the subject, I highly recommend this book.