"The Good Shufu: Finding Love, Self and Home on the Far Side of the World" by Tracy Slater
I have very few good things to say about this book. The one part that I thought was interesting was the interesting cultural aspects of Japan. The author kind of drove me crazy, and I feel a little bit bad for criticizing her life because it's hers, but I wanted to throttle her a lot. It was packed full of #richwhitepeopleproblems. Other people liked this book though so...
"Church of Spies: The Pope's Secret War Against Hitler" by Mark Riebling
The Vatican STILL gets a lot of flack for not having been a louder voice against Hitler and the Nazis. This book suggests that they orchestrated a lot of spying and undercover operations, though for most (self included) a very loud, very angry "This Hitler guys is a mass murdering demon and whoever kills him first gets into heaven the fastest". Or something similar. The best part about this book was learning about a man named Wilhelm Canaris. This man was extraordinary. He joined the Nazi party early, because he thought they would stop Communism. And then once Canaris saw the Nazis for what they really were he did everything he could to destroy it from the inside. He was also close for a time with the Nazi who (possibly) makes me the angriest, Heydrich. He took a hard turn, and I think earned his redemption. He was executed the same day and the same place as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, another super compelling figure. Here's his wikipedia. I'm officially on the prowl for a biography. (Cover is not good though)
Strands of Gold and Bronze by Jane Nickerson
Am I a sucker for a fairy tale retelling? Yes, yes I am. This one takes the legend of Bluebeard and plops it in Mississippi in the mid-1800s. The main girl was a little bit slow to catch on, and I think there were a lot of characters that could have been expanded to make a more interesting story; but overall a good fast, fluff read.
Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller
I read this book because several of my book blogger friends raved about it. Were they right to rave? Indeedy. I've never zipped through a 200 page book so quickly, I really needed to know what happened next. It's tense and interesting and the end makes you choke a little.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand our giveaway winner is.......Jamie from Books and Beverages! Thanks for participating everyone! I really appreciate it! And so do the animals at the animal shelter where they will love the box of donated goodies! (Also I appreciate that this looks totally rigged but there were only 8 entries and Jamie did 3 so odds were in her favor, haha)
So excited I won!!!!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Jamie!
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