Unfinished: The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman

Book Info:
The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

by Diane Ackerman
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (September 17, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9780393333060
Genre: Non-fiction
Source: My Shelves
Rating: 0/5

When Germany invaded Poland, Stuka bombers devastated Warsaw—and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts. Jan, active in the Polish resistance, kept ammunition buried in the elephant enclosure and stashed explosives in the animal hospital. Meanwhile, Antonina kept her unusual household afloat, caring for both its human and its animal inhabitants—otters, a badger, hyena pups, lynxes.

When I read (or listen to) a book about WWII or the Holocaust the one thing I expect in the book is emotion. How can you tell a story about such a devastating time and not have the emotions come through loud and clear? I didn't think it was possible until I started reading The Zookeeper's Wife.

I made it about 100 pages into the book and the story was terribly dry. I know that a story needs to be set up and explained, but those 100 pages were pretty much background info. I was a third of the way through the book and these still wasn't any mention of helping to smuggle Jews out of the country.

Since I left this one unfinished, that means my WWII Challenge was left one book short of completion. If any of you have read this one, does it get better? 0 stars

Unfinished Challenges for 2009

As 2009 draws to a close I know that there are a few of my challenges that I'm not going to finish...and so I'm officially giving up on them.

The Read Your Own Books Challenge was probably the hardest one for me, and also the one I did the worst on. I think that is pretty funny considering these are all books that I picked out from my TBR, and yet I never got around to reading them.

I finished 4/10 books on this list. I also should, but probably won't, be trying this particular challenge next year.

1. The Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant
2. Dry by Augusten Burroughs, (review)
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Phillipa Gregory (review)
4. Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
5. The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis (review)
6. Pope Joan by Donna Woolfork Cross (review)
7. American Gods by Neil Gaiman
8. The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory
9. Amagansett by Mark Mills
10. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

Another challenge I struggled on was the Classics Challenge. There are so many classics I want to read, but I never seem to make time for them with new books always showing up on my shelves. I read 3/4 books for this challenge and am pretty happy with this result. I also did a classics challenge last year and didn't read a single book for it. This may be one I try again in 2010.

1. My Antonia by Willa Cather (review), audio
2. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (review coming soon)
3. The Pearl by John Steinbeck (review coming soon)

The last challenge I was unable to complete was the Book Awards III Challenge. I only completed 3/5 for this challenge. I know I had more award winning books on my shelves, but I never felt compelled to read any of them. I'll probably be skipping this one if it's held again.

1. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout (review) - Pulitzer Prize Winner
2. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review) - D.J.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, Listen Up Award
3. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (review) - Romantic Novel of the Year Award

As of right now I am still one book away from completing the War Through the Generations Challenge, and am 100 pages into my last book for it. Since I'm so close, I'm going to work hard on completing it in the next couple of weeks. So far, I've read 4/5 for this challenge.

1. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (review)
2. Resistance by Anita Shreve (review)
3. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review), audio
4. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (review)

Review: Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas

Book Info:
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas
Paperback: 336 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (February 5, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9780312360207
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: My Shelves
Rating: 4/5

During World War II, a family finds life turned upside down when the government opens a Japanese internment camp in their small Colorado town. After a young girl is murdered, all eyes (and suspicions) turn to the newcomers, the interlopers, the strangers.

This is Tallgrass as Rennie Stroud has never seen it before. She has just turned thirteen and, until this time, life has pretty much been what her father told her it should be: predictable and fair. But now the winds of change are coming and, with them, a shift in her perspective. And Rennie will discover secrets that can destroy even the most sacred things.

I'm a sucker for books that are set in Colorado, and especially the Eastern plains. It always brings me just a little closer to the characters when I recognize and relate to the setting. I also love WWII fiction, so the subject matter and the setting made Tallgrass a must read for me.

My favorite thing about Tallgrass was the story was told through the eyes of a child. Rennie brings an open mindedness to the story that some of the adult characters understandably don't have. While she is uncertain about the Japanese in the camp, she is also willing to give them a chance. This allows her to see them as individuals and realize that they aren't so different after all.

Tallgrass is a story that brought out strong emotions in me. While I know that fear can make people behave shamefully, it saddens me that this same type of discrimination can easily be found today. If you are a fan of WWII fiction, I would recommend Tallgrass as a different view into how the war affected those in the internment camps and the surrounding communities. 4 stars

Review: Let Me Go by Helga Schneider

Book Info:

Let Me Go by Helga Schneider

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Penguin (August 30, 2005)
ISBN-10: 0143035177

Genre: Nonfiction

Source: Library, Audio

Rating: 4.5/5

In 1941, in Berlin, Helga Schneider’s mother abandoned her along with her father and younger brother. Let Me Go recounts Helga’s final meeting with her ailing mother in a Vienna nursing home some sixty years after World War II, in which Helga confronts a nightmare: her mother’s lack of repentance about her past as a Nazi SS guard at concentration camps, including Auschwitz, where she was responsible for untold acts of torture. With spellbinding detail, Schneider recalls their conversation, evoking her own struggle between a daughter’s sense of obligation and the inescapable horror of her mother’s deeds.

I was recently browsing the library's audio downloads when this one caught my eye. I needed another book for my WWII challenge and I liked that Let Me Go looked like a quick listen at only 5 disks. Since the weather has turned cold and I'm not walking to work my audio listening has suffered and I find shorter books work a little better. What I didn't expect was the emotional impact those 5 disks carried...

Let Me Go is a snapshot of a story. There is a little background included in the form of flashbacks and stories, but the bulk of the story is one conversation. This may seem a little incomplete to some, but I thought the format worked well. Schneider didn't have much knowledge of her mother beyond this conversation and I liked that the reader/listener didn't know more than she did.

The narrator of this book, Barbara Rosenblat, is amazing. She inflects so much emotion into the book that I often found myself with goosebumps. When she reads the mother's words it varies between and old woman's confusion and petulance to unashamed cruelty. While Let Me Go is a fascinating story of an insider's experience in the concentration camps, it is worth listening to for the wonderful narration alone. 4.5 stars

The Bottom Line, #2

The Bottom Line is a feature to designed to give quick and dirty reviews of books I've read, but I either don't have the time or the inspiration to write full reviews on them.


Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
Publisher: Tor Teen (March 15, 2002)
ISBN-13: 9780765342300
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 3.5/5

I would never have thought of Sleeping Beauty in regards to the Holocaust, but it nicely done. I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of this book. Rebecca travels to Poland to figure out if there is any truth to her Grandmother's story of living in a castle. The final third of the book has a different narrator and I thought this was a little choppy. For parents reading with kids, there is some mention of homosexuality. ETA: Until I was writing this post I never noticed the face behind the barbed wire. I guess I'm not very observant...


The Plague by Joanne Dahme
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Running Press Kids (May 4, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780762433445
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 2.5/5

I was really excited to read a YA historical fiction as it seemed a bit different. I didn't find the story quite as smooth as I would have liked though. It seemed like there were characters randomly popping up and I found it a little hard to follow at times. There is a little bit of black magic in the book, which might appeal to some.


The Broken Window by Jeffery Deaver
Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Pocket Star (April 28, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9781416549987
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4/5

The Lincoln Rhyme books are one of my favorite mystery series. Deaver never fails to amaze me with the twists he includes, but they never seem contrived or too convenient. I have to admit, I can't even tell you want this book was about anymore (I read it in Feb), but if you haven't read this series, and you enjoy mysteries, definitely check it out. The Bone Collector, the first in the series, was also made into a movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, and it's worth watching.



**If any of you graphics wizards would be so kind as to help me out with a button for this feature I would be forever grateful!

The Bottom Line, #1

The Bottom Line is a feature to designed to give quick and dirty reviews of books I've read, but I either don't have the time or the inspiration to write full reviews on them.


13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (September 26, 2006)
ISBN-13: 9780060541439
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5/5

I enjoyed this fun finding yourself story. I am insanely jealous of the trip Ginny took in the book, but thought she was a little too rigid in following her aunts instructions. I think she missed out on experiencing the great places she got to go because she was so set on completing the next task. Still a fun book though.


Resistance by Anita Shreve
Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books; (January 1, 1997)
ISBN-13: 9780316789844
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3/5

I usually really enjoy Shreve's books but this one fell a little flat for me. I found myself more angry than sympathetic with the characters. I also wanted to know more about the Resistance movement and less about the forbidden relationship.



Defending Angels by Mary Stanton
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (December 2, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9780425224984
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3.5/5

This book is a complete departure from what I usually read, but I found a fun change of pace. The characters are zany and very entertaining, and this is a great start to a new series. Check back tomorrow for my full review of the second book in the series, Angel's Advocate, and a giveaway!

Review: A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal

Book Info:
A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy by Thomas Buergenthal

Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (April 20, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780316043403

Genre: Non-fiction/Memoir

Rating: 4/5

In A Lucky Child, Thomas Buergenthal, now a Judge in the International Court judge in The Hague, tells his astonishing experiences as a young boy during the Holocaust. Buergenthal arrived at Auschwitz at age ten, after surviving the Ghetto of Kielce and two labor camps, and was soon separated from his mother and then his father. He managed by his wits and some remarkable strokes of luck to survive until he was liberated from Sachsenhausen in 1945. From teaching himself to ride a bike belonging to an SS officer, to sneaking a heavenly sip of milk, to delighting in the pony given to him by his Polish Army comrades, he reminds us of the resilience of the human spirit. Almost two years after his liberation, Buergenthal was miraculously reunited with his mother, and in 1951 he arrived in the United States to start a new life. Poignant and inspiring, A Lucky Child is a book that demands to be read by all.

I've always been fascinated by the Holocaust. I've been amazed by how good people could treat other human beings so terribly, and how so many people were able to withstand such atrocious treatment and conditions to survive. That such a young child was able to survive is even more amazing.

Mr Buergenthal waited quite some time to write his memoir. He explains in the preface that he wanted a little distance from the experience before he wrote about it. While this is certainly understandable, I think this distance from the events did come through in the writing. The story wasn't lacking in emotion by any means, but I didn't have the sense of immediacy that I've gotten from some other Holocaust memoirs I've read.

If you are interested in the Holocaust and life in the concentration camps, this is an easy to read memoir that gives you a glimpse into some of the most notorious camps. The books also includes a map and photos. I loved the pictures! Sometimes when reading I would forget just how young Buergenthal was while living in the camps, and these pictures helped remind me. 4 stars

WWII Challenge

This challenge is already three months in, but it's a small fairly small requirement (5 books) and I have been getting so many WWII and Holocaust books lately that signing up seemed appropriate. This challenge is co-hosted by Anna from Diary of an Eccentric & Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit.

My tentative list to choose from:

1. The Girl in the Green Sweater

2. Briar Rose

3. A Separate Peace

4. The Madonnas of Leningrad

5. The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million

6. Those Who Save Us

7. Skeletons at the Feast

8. Out Stealing Horses

I have all of these on my bookshelves already, but if you have any other recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

What I ended up reading:

1. Briar Rose by Jane Yolen (review)

2. Resistance by Anita Shreve (review)

3. Let Me Go by Helga Schneider (review), audio

4. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (review)