Read: Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eyewitness Account

Every once in a while, I feel the need to read a rather serious book.  This happened to be one that I chose for no reason in particular, outside of the fact that I felt compelled to read it for some reason. I won’t lie and say that this is an easy book to read. I had to put it down several times for fear of throwing up whatever I had eaten earlier in the day.  I feel that it is nevertheless and important piece of writing.  

This book is by Dr. Miklos Nyiszli, a Jew “saved” from the gas chambers, only to be assigned to the infamous Nazi “Angel of Death” – Dr. Josef Mengele. Once in Mengele’s service, Nyiszli is put in charge of many of Mengele’s sick and twisted human experiments.  One such experiment was recently brought to light in the article http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/dr-mengele-s-victim-why-one-auschwitz-survivor-avoided-doctors-for-65-years-a-666327.html. 

It truly is hard to comprehend the horrors that occurred at the concentration camps during the reign of the Nazis.  Reading this book, it took a while for me to wrap my head around the amount of blind, misguided hatred required to create monsters of this nature.  It was tough to understand how Nyiszli could live with himself after all the horrors that he had seen and been faced to perform.  But it is an interesting story of the struggle of the human nature to fight to live.  Nyiszli did what he needed to do to survive, and ensure the relative safety of his family.

After finishing this book, it is hard to understand that some folks out there are just as evil today.  While possibly not hell bent on genocide as Hitler and the Nazis, there are those still hell bent on destroying people.

It makes one appreciate the life that we live in a free country.

 

 

 

 

Short break

I haven’t been reading as much as I would like to lately.  But now that fall appears to be setting in for the long haul, I will be snuggling up with my books more often.  I am deeply grateful to any who read my silly posts.  i have been able to help a couple friends find new books to read, and they genuinely seem to enjoy the selections I make for them.  It’s fun to match books with people.

I am still struggling with the Queen of Kings book.  I haven’t made it past that three page thresh hold since finding out it involves vampires.  I shall give it the old college try again.

 

Testing something

Sorry for the post, I’m testing some settings!

 

Books within arms reach needing to be read…

Let’s see.  I am sitting on my bed.  And I’m guessing there are far too many books within my reach that need to be read.  Let’s see how many!!!

Imperium – Robert Harris

Napolean’s Wars – Charles Esdaile

Abundance – A Novel of Marie Antoinette – Sena Jeter Naslund

F5 – Mark Levine

Signora da Vinci – Robin Maxwell

The Devil in the White City – Erik Larson

Burning Bright – Tracy Chevalier

Give Me Back My Legions! – Harry Turtledove

The Triumph of Caeser – Steven Saylor

Virgin Earth – Philippa Gregory

For the King – Catherine Delors

Terra Incognita – Ruthe Downie

Honolulu –  Alan Brennert

The Serpent’s Tale – Ariana Franklin

Dark Road to Darjeeling –  Deanna Raybourn

The Quality of Mercy – Faye Kellerman

Innocent Traitor – Alison Weir

Yeah.  I have a problem.  LOL

 

 

Read: Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich

I started and finished this book in one day.  It is by no means a short book.  But 90000 degree temperatures that force you to stay locked in your bedroom with the air conditioner lead to a nice day/evening of reading.

Midwife of Venice starts off rolling.  Hannah, a Jewish midwife, lives in the Jewish ghetto in Venice in 1575.  She has gained a reputation of tempting even the most stubborn baby out of the mother’s womb.  One night, a wealthy Venice Conte and his brother come knocking on her door.  The Conte’s wife is dying, and the child she carries will die without Hannah’s help.  One problem.  It is illegal for a Christian to receive medical assistance from a Jew.

Hannah risks her own life, and the lives of every member of the ghetto by agreeing to help the Conte.  She manages to bring the child to the world with the help of her birthing spoons, which are early forceps.  She is afraid of being branded a witch, and demands an outrageous amount for her services, 200 ducets.  She only asks for this ridiculous amount to ransom her husband Isaac from Malta.

The story alternates between Hannah and Isaac and how they struggle to find each other and their struggle for survival.  I loved the book, the pace was great, with very few stretches that stretched on tediously.  Not for the squeamish with the birthing ordeal.

 

 

Thalassa Ali Trilogy

I downloaded A Singular Hostage by Thalassa Ali without really knowing it was the first novel in a Trilogy.  I soon discovered different, and nabbed the other two books, A Beggar at the Gate and Companions in Paradise.

This fascinating series of books begins in 1838 in India before the British Invasion.  Young Mariana Givens is thrust into a strange world when she becomes involved with a young child.  The child seems to hold a magnificent power of the Maharajah, and anyone he encounters.

Mariana begins to sympathize with the native people, and through the series develops a relationship with the young child’s family… and most intriguingly the child’s handsome, quiet father.  Through a strange twist of fate, Mariana becomes caretaker for the young Saboor, and married to his father.  While attempting to dissolve the quick marriage, danger and intrigue surround the young miracle boy, forcing Mariana to continue to care for the boy, and more importantly, care more deeply for his father than she ever imagined.

These books were quite interesting, as I did not know a great deal about the British invasion of India and the surrounding areas.  Very rich in history, and beautifully written, I thoroughly enjoyed this series of books, and look forward to what Ms. Ali publishes next.

 

Jackdaws by Ken Follett

My venture into the world of WWII historical fiction started with this book.  Jackdaws by bestselling author Ken Follett is another fast-paced novel of how a covert group of women helped change the course of the Normandy invasion during WWII.

Battle hardened leader Felicity Clariet, known as Flick, leads a ragtag group of women into one of the most dangerous areas of WWII Nazi occupied France.  After her follows a group of women which includes a murderess, a titled lady who begins a lusty lesbian affair with a dimwitted blonde, a veteran bar woman who just happens to be an explosives expert, and a cross dressing homosexual nightclub superstar… who happens to be the key to blowing up the all important communications hub that the Nazis are running in a Northern French town.

Dieter Franck is a top-notch Nazi intelligence officer.  He will go to any means to interrogate a person whom he believes is detrimental to the Nazi regime.  From the first time Franck crosses paths with Flick in a small square before an explosion, he is suspicious, and intrigued.

Flick and her merry band of misfits are led through an amazing ordeal and it takes it toll.  As their numbers dwindle, it becomes ever more important to finish the task at hand… and to stay out of the reach of the dangerous Deiter Franck.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly, and loved reading how the women of England stepped forth to help fight for their country.  Based on the true stories of the Special Operations Executive agents of World War II.

 

Hello.

This won’t be the most exciting blog that you will ever read.  But it is where I will put my honest opinions about books that I have recently read.

I hope that it provides entertainment to someone, least of all myself.  Maybe I will inspire you to pick up a book that you normally would not consider reading.

Enjoy.