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Showing posts from April, 2015

City of Women by David R. Gillham

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City of Women  by David R. Gillham                  Sigrid Schroder is one of the many women waiting for her husband to come home from war in Berlin in 1943. The wireless keeps saying that the war is almost won, yet the bombs continue to come and the air sirens continue to wail. In the meantime Sigrid has taken a lover, a Jewish lover named Egon, who she has fallen in love with. She has also befriended a young woman by the name of Ericha, who she comes to find out is part of a network of people aiding Jews and criminals as they flee the country. Her knowledge of the crimes has turned her into an accessory and she has decided not to stand idly by but to become a part of the network even though it spells danger for everyone involved.                 Can I just say that I loved that this novel took place in Berlin? I absolutely did. It heightened the suspense of the novel knowing that everything was taking place in the heart of the Nazi capital. Here we have Sigrid who lives wi

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

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The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank                 Anne Frank lived in hiding for twenty five months in a “Secret Annexe” above an office building. She was a Jewish girl living in Amsterdam with her father, mother and older sister, who received a diary for her thirteenth birthday in 1942. Shortly after her family went into hiding with the Van Daan family, who was also Jewish. There were eight people in all living in the Secret Annexe after the addition of Dussel, an elderly Jewish dentist. With the help of Anne’s father, Otto Frank’s associates they lived successfully in hiding for twenty five months before they were found. Anne’s diary was recovered by her father, the only survivor in the family and later published.                 The one thing that you must keep in mind when beginning The Diary of a Young Girl is that this literally is a teenager’s diary and was not meant to be a literary work. This is where a young woman poured her heart and soul out for a little m

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

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A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett                 A Little Princess is the story of Sarah Crewe, whose mother died when she was born and leaving her in the care of her loving father, Captain Crewe. At the age of seven she left India and the only home she has never known to attend Ms. Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies. Her father insured that she would have every comfort that his wealth allowed. As her father returned to India Sarah attended and minded her lessons, helping her friends when she could and letting her imagination run wild with stories whenever possible. Sara pretended she was a princess and taught herself to carry herself as such, mindful of the way she treated and respected everyone. She was obviously well loved by her father and as the years passed her comforts increased, but her mild mannered and respectful ways remained. When Captain Crewe unexpectedly passed away and she was left with nothing due to unexpected circumstances, Sara’s wor

Treasure Island by Robert Luis Stevenson

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Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson                 Jim Hawkins is on an adventure of a lifetime. A patron of his father’s inn, Billy Bones, is dead and has left him a treasure map. By following it he will discover the gold of the Captain Flint. He is leaving with the Dr. Livesey on an expedition to recover the gold, along with John Silver, Captain Smollett, the squire Trelawney and their crew they will set sail. Trustworthy seamen are hard to find as Hawkins finds out when he overhears talks of a mutiny. Now the few men he can trust are trying to make it back alive and if they are lucky, with some gold.                 I was entertained but not captivated by this classic. It is well told but only slightly interesting. I have heard of John Silver and thanks to the TV show “Black Sails” I also know of Captain Flint. I was in the mood for a pirate tale and that is exactly what I got but all be it a mild one. Hawkins narrated most of the story and it was through the ey

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill

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NOS4A2 by Joe Hill                 Vic McQueen was good at finding things with her Raleigh Tuff Burner, the bike she was given for her eighth birthday. All she had to do was ride across the Shorter Way Bridge and it would take her exactly where she needed to go. Like when her mom couldn’t find her bracelet, the Shorter Way Bridge took Vic from Haverhill, Massachusetts to New Hampshire in minutes to the diner where she left it. Or when her friends doll went missing, the Shorter Way Bridge took her exactly to where she needed to be to find the doll. For years the Shorter Way Bridge took here where she needed to go to find things. So when Vic went looking for trouble after an argument with her mother, she found Charlie Manx. Manx had a 1938 Rolls Royce Wraith with a license plate that spelled NOS4A2. His car was able to bridge gaps too. His car would bring him, and the children he “rescued” to Christmasland where the only thing that existed was fun. But those kids would never re