Lose Yourself in the World of Books
The Rediscovered Memoir of One Woman's Harrowing Escape from the NazisPublished originally as No Place to Lay One's Head This is another Nonfiction Book Club selection! As a club that reads exclusively nonfiction, eventually we were going to make our way to WWII, either by reading a memoir or history book. We decided to go… Continue reading A Bookshop in Berlin by Francoise Frenkel
Laura: I found this book on my mom’s shelves and when she noticed that I had picked it up she told me I should absolutely read it. It is one of the few non-mystery type fiction books she has read in the past 10 years, and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Knowing my love of all… Continue reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
One of my grandmothers grew up in Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, specifically in Nürnberg and the surrounding countryside. She doesn't talk about it. As such, I have spent my entire life fascinated by the stories of German children between 1933 and 1945. I don't remember the first book I read that fit the… Continue reading Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl & Marion Blumenthal Lazan
I finally realized why I read so many books about young women during World War II. My grandmother grew up in Nürnberg during this time and she has never spoken about her childhood. From what my father has told me about her experiences, I wouldn’t talk about it either. I read so many books because… Continue reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Verity #2 I may need to reread Rose Under Fire - when I first read it, I was "broken" on World War II novels - I'd read so many, I didn't really "feel" anything when I read them anymore. There are things that happen in Rose Under Fire that are absolutely horrific and I just kept… Continue reading Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
I enjoy a well written WWII narrative as much as the next person - there's a reason there is a whole sub-genre of historical fiction dedicated to the time period - 70+ years later it still holds the world's attention, particular in the current world climate that seems to threaten WWIII. I picked up The Nightingale not… Continue reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
As a lover of WWII historical fiction, I had heard that Between Shades of Gray would most likely be a book I would enjoy. When I happened to find it by chance at a used bookstore in Center City Philadelphia, I knew I needed to get it. After meeting Ruta Sepetys back in January of 2016,… Continue reading Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Celebration of Books 