Hello All,
A new year and new books. Here is the list from lour last week's gathering at Karla Cox's home:
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel is one I didn’t talk about, but would recommend. It’s fiction but another WWII story, based in Italy during Hitler’s occupation. An intriguing story of heroism, human frailty, and what could happen to so many who lived in such circumstances.
JoAnn Abegglen
1. The Maid by Nita prose. This is a murder mystery with several twist that anyone would enjoy.
2. Lessons in Chemistry. By Bonnie Garmus. I loved this book. It reflects women of the 60’s
And 70’s. It is sad and very funny. Anyone is welcome to borrow my copy.
Maryann Stevens
January 23
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn 4.5
️ WWII British code breakers have signed an oath of secrecy. Even years after armistice the code breakers cannot divulge any information. “Oh I just did secretarial work. Terribly, boring don’twxwmyou know. “ One brilliant code breaker is sure that someone in her unit is selling information to the enemy. The high command doesn’t believe her & she is drugged & trundled off to an insane asylum. A lobotomy is scheduled. Will anyone help her?
The Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz 4.5
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2 murders 2 mysteries interwoven
The Bullet that Missed - A Thursday Murder Club Mystery by Richard Osman 4
️. I love this group of geriatric sleuths!!
December 22
A Place Called Freedom by Ken Follett 3
️ 1766 Mack McAsh is a virtual slave in the Jamison coal pit. Men work 10-hr days digging coal from deep in the earth. Their wives & children work 15-hr days hauling the coal to the surface, 150 lbs or 75 lbs at a time. Lizzie is a Lady from nearby Glen Cove who is annoyed by the strict societal rules that dictate the lives of women. Each in their own way seeks freedom, from Scotland to London to Virginia. Was a 4
️ until last 45 minutes. Ending was rather wanting.
One Woman’s War by Christine Wells 3.5
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WWII intrigue. British Naval intelligence officer Victoire Bennett is the real life inspiration for James Bond’s Mrs. Pennymoney. Commander Ian Fleming has an idea for an intelligence operation that is mocked by Ms. Bennett. Double and triple agents abound.
The Candy Cane Caper by Josi Kilpack 3.5
️ Who stole the antique & very valuable Christmas ornaments from Mary’s tree? Mary, now blind & with terminal cancer has moved into an assisted living center.
Electable: Why America Hasn’t Put a Woman in the White House Yet… by Ali Vitale 5
️ Now NBC White House correspondent Ali Vitali covered first 2016 & then in embedded in Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign. She chronicles the hazards of being a female candidate in a still men’s only club. She reveals Gender bias both intentional & so cultural it’s unrecognizable by many. Insightful.
Wikipedia 4.5
️
Paul the Apostle and women. Many early female Christians are listed in Paul’s writing. Some theologians interpret some as deacons or even an apostle. This conflates with passages in Corinthians & Timothy about being silent. Some claim Timothy is post-Pauline & see the patriarchy as being introduced later than the second century.
Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman (interviews the engineer) 5
️ It’s the end of WWII and the Russian Army invades & then dismantles Germany, pulling up & taking the train tracks with the last load of booty. What becomes the German Democratic Republic is even more repressive than its supporters in Moscow. The secret police known as the ‘Stasi,’ are greatly feared because they are imbedded in every element of society & spy on everyone. Scores of Germans caught in the east flee this repressive government under the Allied agreements. But in one night Erich Honecker’s army builds a wall of barbed wire dividing eastern Berlin from the western sectors. Scores of Germans caught in the east still escape this repressive government. Then without warning a prefabricated cement wall goes up in a night- no more casual escapes. Fathers working in the west are separated from wives & children in the east. Parents from children. Siblings. This is the true story of the most successful tunnel escape of 29 persons. The tunnel takes months of gathering equipment, then digging round the clock in 8-hour shifts while lying face up in the narrow space, always in fear of Stasi spies, police & imprisonment. Fascinating.
Beth Hedengren
January
Hearts of the Fathers: A Story of Heaven, Hell, and the Hope of a New Life after Life
By Sheldon Lawrence (who teaches writing at BYU-I)
Very good book—a fictional story about a person progressing after death. He is first in hell, then kind of a ghost on earth, then in a place very like a university, then in a lower degree of heaven, which is glorious. The man is healed as he faces the truth about himself and others (and especially his family) and learns to love fully and completely. Lots to think about here.
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks
A thought-provoking book on how to enjoy the last part of life, after a successful career has ended. Brooks discusses hopefully the possibilities of a “second curve,” when perhaps you are not as sharp and quick as you were as a younger striver. Some of the chapter headings: “Kick Your Success Addiction,” “Ponder Your Death,” “Cultivate Your Aspen Grove” (cultivating friendships and family relationships), “Make Your Weakness Your Strength” (Recognizing that you may have weaknesses and that those weaknesses can become opportunities for growth). Brooks emphasizes the importance of teaching to others what you have learned, developing close personal relationships with family and friends, and reaching out through religion and spirituality to God.
My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
The memoir that the PBS series was based on “The Durrells in Corfu.” Very delightful, from the point of view of the little boy in the family, the budding naturalist. Much about the flora and fauna of the island, but also hilarious descriptions of the Durrell family and all their friends on the island. Reminds me some of the book “All Creatures Great and Small.”
The Bear and the Nightingale
The Girl in the Tower
Two books in a fantasy series by Katherine Arden.
A very clever fantasy world, set in a world much like medieval Russia, and based on Russian fairy tales. Very very cold and hungry, even the wealthy. The daughter of a well-to-do lord/farmer has magical powers, like her grandmother. The magical lord of winter takes an interest in her and she develops her powers, much to the dismay of her father. One more book in the series, which I have on hold at Libby.
The Secret History of Home Economics, by Danielle Dreilinger
Very interesting history of the field of Home Economics. The early years were especially fascinating. The discipline encouraged a scientific exploration of best practices for all aspects of housekeeping, cooking, and child rearing. In the early years (1920s, 1930s), the discipline did especially good work in encouraging homemakers to use good sanitation and nutrition.
Stranger Diaries, by Elly Griffiths
A “modern Gothic mystery,” according to the blurb on the book. Clare Cassidy is a high school English teacher. She is writing a book on a gothic writer who lived in the house where her school now is. She keeps a detailed daily journal, which features importantly in the story. One of Clare’s colleagues is murdered, and Clare herself becomes a suspect, and then a potential victim. Very cleverly written, with satisfying literary allusions. Excellent mystery.
Apple Turnover Murder, by Joanne Fluke
Very light, fun, cozy mystery, set in Lake Eden, Minnesota. The murder mystery takes a back seat to the small dramas of the citizens of Lake Eden. The sleuth is a baker, owner of a cookie café, and there are recipes after almost every chapter. A lovely book for putting myself sweetly to sleep.
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
Two mysteries in one. The first is a novel in the novel, by the character Alan Conway. In this mystery Sir Magnus Pye is murdered and the famous detective Atticus Pundt comes to the village to investigate. The story is elegant, classic, mystery, following Agatha Christie’s model. I loved it—but the last chapters are missing. And thus begins the second mystery. Alan Conway’s editor, Susan, seeks to find the missing chapters, and along the way discovers a murder and a murderer. Very clever indeed. Made into a series for the BBC which I saw first. The book has more detail, and slightly different characterizations I thought. Both are excellent, but different.
Geri Christensen
The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
Edith Eger is an eminent psychologist and one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors old enough to remember life in the camps. A student of Viktor Frankl, Dr. Edith Eger has worked with veterans, military personnel, and victims of physical and mental trauma.
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