Nazi Officer's Wife

 I have been intending to read this book for quite a while.   My mother has been recommending it for quite some time.   This piece of non-fiction reads a lot like a historical fiction novel.  I think I especially related to the book after assisting my son to study for modern world history last school year.  I learned more about the Russians and Bolsheviks than I had previously known.  This book talks about the Kristallnacht as a real experience, not just a concept.  It was quite interesting to read about history in first hand rather than by history books.  

I found it amazing how the German citizens were only provided news and stories that presented the Reich in a positive manner.  It is amazing how unaware they were to what was going on during the war.  I must admit it does give me a bit of a fear when the news media in the US seems to be reporting narratives rather than facts in the current era.  It seems like it would be very easy to have a similar experience here today if citizens did not chose to listen to both sides of the narratives and other countries perspectives as well. 

The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust by Edith Hahn Beer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars 

This story is amazing and is written like a historical fiction novel. Edith Beer provides an enlightening account of her experiences living as a Jew in Germany during WWII. Her story vividly describes the experiences and emotions she and others like her experienced during that horrific time. There are some amazing revelations of how in the dark the Germans were about what was going on around the world. 

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Literary Escapes-  Austria
2. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #16- Borrowed from a friend
3. Book List Queen #25-  Recommended by a Family Member 
4. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 NF #18 a wartime book
5. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020  book rec from a friend
6. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge #4 friend recommendation 
7. TBR Book # 58  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
8. Memoir    #16 Written by someone from a country different from your own
9. Historical NonFiction  Book #4

84 Charing Cross Road

84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff is a delightful read that explores the long lost art of communication by letters.  This is a series of correspondence between Helene and Frank, an employee of a book store in London.  What begins as a business relationship ends up becoming one of friendship.  The letters are insightful into the world of London just after WWII ends and the rationing that still remained.  The letters give glimpses of the political fronts of both countries at the election of Churchill and the campaign of Stevenson.   The series of letters is a wonderful glimpse into the lives and careers of both Frank and Helene.  I am certainly glad I read this book.  

 I originally selected this book as a non fiction read for the epistolary book but ended up discovering it was written the year I was born so I was able to use it for that prompt as well.  It was a quick, enjoyable read for this time of the year.   

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars 

This proved to be a very charming and heartwarming book. I really had no idea what to expect when I selected it. It was a fascinating experience to watch the relationship between Helene and Frank grow over the years. The sarcastic nature of both their tones is hard to pick up initially but really added to the book as you read along. It is amazing to watch Helene's career grow alongside their correspondence. All in all a good book. 

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #134
2. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #6- Written in the 1970’s
3. Book List Queen #51- Borrowed From a Friend 
4. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #11 An epistolary book
5. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge #2- book published the yr you were born
6. TBR Book #57  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
7. Monthly Motif   #MonthlyMotifGXO-  Everything nice- as a feel good book
8. Memoir     One you want to reread
9. Historical NonFiction   Book 3

The Langoliers

 This is the first Stephen King book I have read, I needed to read one for the 52 Books in 52 weeks  challenge.  I have seen some movies based on his books but I've never attempted to read one.  Originally I had selected to read 11/22/63 but the sheer size of it turned me off as the year progressed on my challenges and I decided this one was a much more manageable length.  

Generally I am not a big horror reader and that tends to be what I associate King with in terms of genres.  This book was somewhat of a horror book, but more so I would say it was a SciFi book.  

The premise of what happened on a flight across country while the characters were sleeping is a terrifying idea to say the least.  I did find myself very engaged in their emotions and felt as though I was in the center of the action.  I kept trying to figure out what was going on and how it would end, just as a person experiencing the book itself would probably have been feeling.  I was pleasantly surprised at how it ended, not a clean pat resolution but one that resolved the situation and kept with the overall story premise.  I am glad I stepped outside my comfort zone and read the book.  I look forward to reading 11/22/63 in the future.  

The Langoliers by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars 

What a crazy intense story

This is quite a fascinating sci fi thriller. As I read it I felt like I was there with the characters and experiencing the same emotions as them. It takes a bit of time to settle into the story but once it gets going hold on. I kept wondering what the twist would be and it wasn’t what I expected at all. 

View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:  

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #133
2. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #19- A Stephen King novel 
3. Book List Queen #14- Famous Author You’ve Never Read
4. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #6 Book originally published in 1990s 

Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant

I selected this memoir by Roz Chast to fit the graphic novel memoir prompt for the challenge.  I ended up finding this book very relatable.  The author discusses caring for her aging parents.  She points out some of the aspects of handling it that are unique to being an only child so I could especially appreciate this piece.  The family dynamics can me pause and allowed me to reflect on my own family and to see the situation from a different perspective.

I am glad I read this memoir.  Her humorous approach helped discuss a tricky topic in a good fashion.



Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was a very interesting approach to a difficult topic. I suggest anyone with aging parents read this book. It does a great job of showing that you are not alone in this progression and Chast does a good job of presenting the material in a funny manner without belittling the topic

Glad I read it


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #71
2. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #17 illustrated book
3. Wizarding World Tour  possible categories
• Mahoutokoro: Graphic Novel
4. Memoir  Graphic Novel Memoir
5. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 #24 indie book
6. TBR Book #44 #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon

The Twenty-Ninth Day

This memoir by Alex Messenger is intense and not for the faint of heart.  I could not put it down and read it in an afternoon.  The author describes in great detail his month long journey into the Northern tundra of Canada in 2005.   He ventured out with 5 other young men, including a guide to canoe the tundra within the Northwest Territories and Nanuchak 1000 miles from the US border.
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His description of the landscape, wildlife and journey are wonderful.  It is not hard to imagine you are in the canoe and tent right alongside these intrepid young men.   The story of his attack by the grizzly goes into great detail.  It is amazing he survived the attack and the subsequent journey to get back to civilization.

This is an example of the amazing ability to persevere  and overcome obstacles.  This book helped me to appreciate the growth my son experienced when he hiked the Appalachian Trail the other year with his Scout troop.     I must admit the story makes me a bit nervous to send him off on his next high adventure but that part of letting him grow and find himself. 

This is an amazing memoir that reads like a novel and I recommend it highly especially if you have an adventurer in your family.




The Twenty-Ninth Day by Alex Messenger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an amazing story. Cannot believe this is a true story. What an experience Alex Messenger endured. The book does an amazing job of describing a life changing adventure journey over the Canadian tundra. He does a great job of describing how the experience transforms him even before the grizzly attack. The details of the attack and the subsequent care plan is amazing and demonstrates his internal strength

Amazing memoir full of description of the tundra and the experience


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #68
2. Literary Escapes-  Canada- Northwest Territories
3. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #4 day/night in title
4. Memoir  #14 author under 40
5. Wizarding World Tour  
• Mahoutokoro: with an exquisite cover

The Silent Patient

Wow,  now I see why this has gotten so many high praises from people in the different challenges I am participating in this year.  Alex Michaelides has written a crazy fast paced and engaging thriller with the Silent Patient.  I literally read it in one 4 hour sitting,  I never got up from the chair.  There were lots of plot twists and apparent clues but I never saw the ending coming.  It is a great book and I am so glad I read it.  The only thing that kept me from giving it a 5 star review was there was  bit of confusion in the timeline for me.  When I look back on it I think the confusion is intentional but I am not 100% sure.  This is a definite thriller to put on your list if you like psychological thrillers.


The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, was this an intense thriller. Couldn't stop reading, finished in 4 hours. There is a very surprising twist at the end that I definitely did not see coming. Only reason I didn't give it a 5 star was some of the chronological pieces didn't make sense to me. Overall a very fast paced and engaging thriller


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #54
2.  Cloak and  Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #42
3. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #31 Medical Thriller
4. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 # 3 Fiction A book with a (mostly) white color cover
5. TBR Book #33  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon

the Mixed Up FIles of Mrs Basil E Frankweiler

I reread the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg this week.  This is a middle reader book that I remembered from my childhood.  The plot has always stuck with me even when I couldn’t remember the title.  I recall searching for the book on the internet a few years back,  literally putting “kids book, runaway, NY museum” in as my search parameter.  At that time, I was looking for a book to share with my son.  I bought it but alas it has sat unread on his shelf all these years.  We have very different tastes in genres-  I love mysteries, I’ve always liked them ever since I was a child.  I used to devour Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Encyclopedia Brown, the Boxcar children and many others.  My son on the other hand prefers dystopian novels- something I really don’t enjoy.  Maybe it’s the adult feeling that the world has enough bad in it that I don’t need to spend my leisure time reading about things when I could get just as upset watching the news, especially now. 

When a reading prompt for this year said to reread a childhood favorite, I decided this was the time to get the book off the shelf and read it again.  The story is about a 6^th grade girl, Claude, who decides she is unappreciated at home as the oldest, and only girl.  She devises a plan to runaway from her home in Greenwich, CT.  As part of her plan she decides to take her middle brother along as he is a saver and can fund their excursion.  Plus he can keep a secret better than the oldest of the brothers.  Claude works out all the details and then springs the plan on Jamie.  The leave on a Wednesday because that’s music day and they will have an extra container to carry food and clothes.  Claude wants to run away in style, not hide in the woods, nope its NYC and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

When they first leave home, it is Claude’s intention, to get noticed and to come home with a story to tell.  But as their stay and adventures at the Met go along, she comes to realize she wants to be come home changed and a hero for solving a mystery.  Her ultimate transformation of growth actually leads to her realizing the process and the knowledge that you know something that isn’t necessarily public is worth a lot to self growth and awareness.  The 2 children ultimately come to meet the narrator, Mrs. Frankweiler,  she helps them solve a bit of the puzzle and to return home to their family. 

The copy of the book I have is the 35^th anniversary edition.  It has a fun afterword with the author and also contains the only sequel written to the story.  The sequel is a conversation between the siblings about the Newbery award the book received.  It was part of the program given to the attendees in 1968 at the awards.

All in all it was enjoyable reread for me and I am glad I spent the afternoon doing so.  This is a great book to read with children or alone.  

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Was an awesome experience to revisit a childhood favorite. I especially enjoyed the fact my book had a note from the author at the end which helped me to see the messages and themes she was portraying in the book. She also covered the changes from when she wrote the book in 1967 to today (the 35th anniversary). Great as an adult, but for kids it is just a fun book to read

As for the story who wouldn't love to live in a museum filled with treasures and things to explore. This is a great book that I am so happy I read again. It is great for elementary kids to read alone, with parents or in classrooms. All around clean story with intrigue and suspense and messages if you are paying attention


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #9 with a map
2. Around the Year in 52 Books- #25  book related to the arts
3. Book List Queen #34  Middle Grade Fiction 
4. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #13 A book you read in your childhood days 
5. TBR Book #1  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
6. Wizading World Tour  possible categories
• Mahoutokoro: Read a middle grade novel
7. Monthly Motif   #MonthlyMotifGXO-   Went for the classic theme- before I was born

Furiously Happy is a fun read

While the underlying topic and message of the book is a very poignant one,  Jenny Lawson's stories in her memoir really make this book a joy to read.  She is quite frank and open in discussing how her depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses affect her life on a daily basis.  However, her funny stories really do make it an enjoyable read while still pointing out the struggles she and others experience in daily life. At times they are gut wrenching laugh out loud funny.    I appreciate she is doing her best to help take the stigma out of talking about mental illness and pointing out how it is not any different than having any other health ailment that afflicts our bodies.
Plus how can you not like a book with a smiling raccoon on the cover

I can highly recommend this book




Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny  Lawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is awesome. If you are looking for a book to make you laugh then I highly recommend this book. While the subject of mental illness can still be a hush hush topic among some circles, Jenny Lawson is doing her best to remove that stigma. Her stories are real and point out the struggles she and others like her go through with debilitating depression and anxiety but they are presented in a fun way that gets the message across without being melancholy. There were many times I was laughing out loud and reading funny excerpts to my husband. All in all this is a great book I can highly recommend. Plus who can't smile while looking at a smiling racoon.


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #30
2. Literary Escapes-  TX
3. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #34 you picked up because the title caught your attention
4. Around the Year in 52 Books- #24 Book with an emotion in the title
5. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #29  An award-winning novel
6. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #7 Book about mental health/dealing with mental illness 
7. Wizarding World Tour  
• Castelobruxo: Read a book with Gold on it
8. While I was Reading  #1 Book with an emotion in the title
9. Color Coded:  #3  Yellow
10. What's in a Name #2  An Antonym
11. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge  Audie award in 2016
12. Memoirs-  #1 Mental Illness
13. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 #6

The Secret History

My book club just read The Secret History by Donna Tartt.  This is the second novel by her that we have read.  The previous being Goldfinch.  While I enjoyed both books they didn't wow me and they are very long.  This book is over 500 pages so it will take a while to read.  They were both a bit long winded for me and the story seemed to drag on for too long.  In both stories there are many drug and alcohol references so be aware if this is an issue for you.

The Secret History was an interesting concept focusing on a small insular group of Classical scholars  at a Vermont Liberal arts college, Hampden.  Tartt does a wonderful job of developing her characters and you feel as though you know them well. We really get to know Richard, Bunny, Francis, Henry, Charles and Camilla as well as the supporting characters who appear throughout the story.  They are definitely an interesting group with atypical interests and social skills.

The underlying story is a disturbing one and it makes you ponder whether this could really occur.  Without giving any spoilers let's just say it is a big example of group think.  The majority of the story occurs during one school year but the ending of the book provides a bit of a recap of where the characters stand in the future.

All in all it is a good read but if you don't like books with descriptive prose and are a bit slow paced, this may not be the book for you.


The Secret History by Donna Tartt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed this book I didn't love it. In many ways it reminded me of John Knowles A Separate Peace. Similar premise of an event at a school with a flashback story telling style. While Tartt's writing is good, it feels like it is too long at times. I had a similar reaction to Goldfinch when I read it a few years ago. Basically, I neither love nor hate the book. I'm just somewhat indifferent to it.

Be aware the book is full of drug and alcohol references so if this is not appropriate for the intended reader this may not be the best selection for them.


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book #29
2. Literary Escapes-  VT
3.  Cloak and  Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal : Book  #23
4. Medical Examiner-  3 Toe Tag 
5. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #48 published in the 20th century
6. Around the Year in 52 Books- #14. by author on the Abe List of 100 Essential Female Writers 
7. Book List Queen #12 More Than 400 Pages
8. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020  #15 book over 500 pages
9. NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020  #10 book over 500 pages
10. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 #23 written before 2010
11. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge  #15 book over 500 pages
12. TBR  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon  Book #20
13. Wizarding World Tour  
• Uagadou-  a book over 450 pages

Lab Girl

I read the memoir Lab Girl by Hope Jahren this month.  The book was a great balance between storytelling and science.  Jahren does a wonderful job at talking about science in a manner that is understood by lay people.  Her explanations about plant life and trees are interesting and her witty storytelling was enjoyable to read.  I can recommend this book to anyone interested in the ways a research scientist goes about doing field research, lab work and raising funds.  All in all it is a very enjoyable read.



Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was an enjoyable mix of sciences and human interest. The relationship Hope has with her lab partner Bill is quite quirky and is fun to watch grow. She does a wonderful job of detailing aspects or her research and plants/trees in general. I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested I learning more about the green life around us as well as those curious about the life of research scientists


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book 22
2. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #16  About Women in STEM
3. Around the Year in 52 Books- #17 Neuro Diverse character
4. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #42 Reuse a prompt from a past year- "A  Plant on Cover"
5. Book List Queen #37  Book that will make you smarter
6. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #2  Book set in country you are currently residing
7. NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020  #7 Biography/autobiography
8. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 #15 author who writes multiple genres
9. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge
10. TBR Book #1  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
11. Wizarding World Tour 
• Castelobruxo: Book related to Plants
12. Color Coded:  #5  Beige
13. Monthly Book Award-   #GXOAwardReadingChallenge  AAAS Subaru science award 2017 

Possible prompts

I will decide as the year goes along which prompts I use it for on several challenges since it meets multiple criteria within the challenge.

1. Memoirs-  
• #1 Mental Health Memoir
• #9  Written by a woman
• # 25 Under 300 pages
• # 

Enjoyable visit to Narnia

I decided to reread C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for some January challenge prompts.  I last read this book when I was in elementary school.  The specific copy I read was originally a gift from my grandmother.  The most wonderful thing about that, is she always wrote a note in the front of any books she gave me.  So, I got to enjoy that momento as well as the book itself.


Here is my review on Goodreads.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyed revisiting a childhood favorite. I had taken a college course on children’s literature that discussed the correlation between the Narnia series and religion. I hadn’t read this installment in that context so this reread definitely allowed me to see those parallels. Beyond that the level of detail in the descriptions is amazing. The edition I read had some wonderful illustrations as well.

All in all enjoyed this reread


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts

The Challenge Prompts I will use this for are:

1. Monthly Motif   #MonthlyMotifGXO   
• JANUARY-  Winter Wonderland  Narnia is definitively  a wondrous location.  The magical feel of the land comes alive and well in Lewis' descriptions.  
2. Color Coded:  #6-  Black cover
3. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #13 An Illustrated Book
4. 52 Books in 52 weeks  #34 A book with illustrations
5. NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020  #14 a book with images:
6. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020  #10 Cover redesign is Better
7. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #19 Book with only words on the cover
8. Around the Year in 52 Books- #19  A fantasy book
9. 2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge #21 a fantasy book
10. Wizarding World Tour 
• Castelbruxo- Read a book that contains a magical creature
11. Book List Queen #16  Reread a Childhood Favorite
12. Alphabet soup Author- #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge  "L"
13. TBR Book #9  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon

Another Women's Murder Club book down

A quiet weekend withe only one hockey game to be in attendance.  Plus we got our new Sactional couch on Thursday and put it together on Saturday am.  What better excuse to sit and read than to test the new couch out, oh yeah we also watched a few episodes of the Mandalorian.  All in all a relaxing weekend.  What a great way to spend a winter day.

I logged some hours for the HPOOTP-Flourish and Blotts Hogwarts Castle Cozyathon.  Didn't make the targeted 12 but probably put in a good 6 hours.



The Medical Examiner by James Patterson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyable quick checkin with the Murder club

Always a fun visit with the ladies of the Murder club. This shirt novella focuses on the supporting cast while Lindsay is off on a much needed vacation. There are several shocking twists to the story with a happy ending. Easily finished this in an afternoon


View all my reviews

Challenge Prompts:

1. Library Love  #LibraryLoveChallenge -  Book 8
2. TBR Book #7  #Backlistreader ; #MountTBR2020; #StartOnYourShelfathon
3.  Cloak and  Dagger  #CloakDaggerChal : Book 6 
4. Medical Examiner-  2 Toe Tag 
5. Six Shooter-  1 shot for James Patterson
6. Mystery Bingo:  Crime- Hotel
7. Finishing the Series-  #FinishingTheSeries2020   
8. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #9  book from an author you chose for another category in this challenge
9. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge  #35 with a 3 word title
10. Book List Queen #3 Less Than 200 Pages
11. Around the Year in 52 Books- #50 A book with a silhouette on the cover
12. Calendar of Crime-  #CalendarOfCrime2020  August #3 primary action takes place this month
13. 52 Books in 52 weeks #46 By an author used in an earlier category
14. Beat the Backlist #BeatTheBacklist2020 #21 book that shares your zodiac sign (Cancer)
15. Wizarding World Tour  possible categories
• Mahoutokoro Read a book under 150 pages

Possible prompts 

I will decide as the year goes along which prompts I use it for on several challenges :

1. #Backlistreader 
• #4 book with less than 200 pages;
•  #15 the 4th+ book in a series

The Orphan's Tale

I am just catching up on some reviews of books I previously finished and only put on the Goodreads site.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Pam Jenoff book- The Orphan's Tale.  It was a very compelling and creative read.  It was a fascinating story and a different perspective on Nazi occupation and the impact on the civilian's lives.   I cannot wait to read more by Pam Jenoff.


Here is my review from Goodreads

The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amazing story telling

This is the first book by Pam Jenoff that I have read. I cannot wait to read the Lost Girls of Paris after reading The Orphan’s Tale. The story is an amazing tale told during the height of WWII. It gives us a glimpse of the circus life and a perspective on how the rise of the Nazis invaded everyday life in Germany and beyond. This is a story of survival as well as sorrow. Jenoff is an amazing storyteller that keeps you wanting more
I enjoyed the format of having 2 narrators and learning the story from both their perspectives. I appreciate that the storyline is given closure to the characters lives in the Epilogue. It’s nice to know what happens to everyone


View all my reviews

Challenge Tracking

The book fulfills prompts for several challenges:

Library Love (Book 4)

Alphabet Soup Author Edition #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge - "P"

AtoZ and Alphabet soup challenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge -"O"

Historic Fiction (Book 1)

TBR Book #1  Backlist Reader

Beat the Backlist #11 Wish you had read it sooner

Literary Escapes-  France

What's in a Name 
#5  Reference to Children

2020 TBR  #2020TBRReadingChallenge
#20 Historical Book

NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020
#20  A book by a new to you author

20 in 20:  #Read20in2020
#18 a wartime book

52 Books in 52 weeks:
#47 Takes place on a form of transportation

Booklist Queen
#21  About a war

Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #27 with at least a 4 star rating on Goodreads

Possible prompts

I will decide as the year goes along which prompts I use it for on several challenges :

Around the Year in 52 Books:
#4 set in a time you wouldn't want to live- Nazi occupied France;
 #6 transportation- train
#11 book originally published in a year that is a prime number (2017);
#27 historical fiction
#43  book related to one of the four horseman of the apocalypse-  war


Wizarding World Tour  possible categories

• Beauxbatons: set in Spain or France
• Durmstrang:  Major combat
• Hogwarts:  Involving a train

Garlic and Sapphires

Calling all foodies or wannabe foodies.  This is a fun memoir written by Ruth Reichl.  Ruth was the New York Times food critic for many years.   This book talks about her experiences starting with how she landed the position through her decision to leave the post.  It is a great behind the scenes look at what is involved in reviewing a restaurant.  There are many funny stories of her adventures dining at the restaurants as well as other aspects of her career.  She details the disguises/alter egos she used to fool restaurant staff and shares the actual reviews she wrote for the paper.  There are also some recipes included for those who would like to try there hand at some new dishes.

All in all I found this to be a fun book.  My only complaint was with the inclusion of the recipes in the Audiobook format.  They were difficult to skip through and would have been better served as an appendix in this format since it isn't really conducive to listen to a recipes rather than reading it.  All in all a great read by an author with lots of storytelling skills

Here's my link to my Goodreads review as well


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3133496645

Challenge Tracking

The book fulfills prompts for several challenges  I will decide as the year goes along which ones I use it for where it covers more than one prompt within a challenge.

1. Library Love-  Book 6
2. Alphabet soup Author- #AlphabetSoupAuthorChallenge " R"
3. AtoZ and Alphabet soup challenge #AlphabetSoupChallenge  "G"
4. Memoirs-  #4  Food Memoir
5. 20 in 20:  #Read20in2020 #8 a humor book
6. NJM #NJMBookChallenge2020  #2 a non fiction book
7. Color Coded:  #1  Blue cover
8. Booklist Queen  #13 makes you laugh
9. Literary Escapes- New York
10. 52 Books in 52 weeks #21 Written by a blogger or journalist
11. Wizarding World Tour 
    • Hogwarts:  a book with a gem in the title or on the cover
12. Popsugar- #popsugarreadingchallenge #38 book by or about a journalist
13. Around the Year in 52 Books- #15 A book set in a global city

The 20 in 20 Challenge #Read20in2020

This challenge, hosted at a Bookworms Musing, is structured to encourage you to read a mix of Fiction and Non-Fiction.   Ten of each type of books to be exact.  

Basic details:

• Challenge runs from Jan 1 - Dec 31 2020
• Each book should be 100+ pages
• If you review online link it back to ABookwormsmusing
• Use #Read20in2020 as a tag on social media 
• Read 10 Fiction and 10 Non-Fiction 

Challenge specifics:

• The challenge has 20 categories to choose from.   You can either read books to fit all 20 prompts or you may use a category for both a fiction and a Non-Fiction selection. 

• No more than 1 NF and 1 Fiction per prompt though

Categories:

There are links with ideas found on the blog to help you select choices   

Completed 23 books

8 Non Fiction and 16 Fiction

1.  Crime fiction or True crime book  
• READ Fiction:  19th Christmas by James Patterson    1/4/20 
• blog  post and Goodreads review
• NF Idea-  The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
2. √ A book set in the country where you are currently residing 
• READ Fiction:  Let's Fake a Deal  by Sherry Harris  1/16/20 
• blog post and Goodreads review
• READ  Non Fiction:  Lab Girl by Hope Jahren  3/5/20
• blog post and Goodreads review
3. A book with a (mostly) white color cover  
• READ Fiction: The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides 6/5/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review
• IDEA NF- Token Chick by Cheryl Ladd 
4. √ A book with day/night in the title-
• READ  Non Fiction: The Twenty-Ninth Day by Alex Messenger 6/28/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review
• READ  Fiction:Midnight Snacks are Murder by Libby Klein 7/26/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review
5. √ LGBTQ related book  
• READ Fiction:  Swipe Right for Murder by Derek Milman 3/18/20
• blog post and Goodreads review 
• READ Non-Fiction: This is going to Hurt: The Secret Diaries of a Medical Resident by Adam Kay 4/20/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review 
6. Book originally published in the 1990s
• READ Fiction:   The Langoliers by Stephen King 12/5/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review
• NF IDEA-  Bill Bryson
7. √ Book about mental health/dealing with mental illness 
• READ Fiction:  Normal People by Sally Rooney 1/31/20
• blog post and Goodreads review
• READ Non Fiction:  Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson 3/31/20
• blog post and Goodreads review
8. √ A humor book
• READ Fiction: Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella 1/23/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review
• READ Non Fiction:   Garlic &  Sapphires by Ruth Reichl  NY Times Food Critic memoir  1/14/20 
• blog post;  goodreads review
9. A book from an author you chose for another category in this challenge
• READ Fiction:  The Medical Examiner by James Patterson 1/25/20  
• blog post and Goodreads review
• NF IDEA-  Bill Bryson;  Ruth Reichl
10. Book with 11 letters/characters in the title (excluding spaces and punctuation)
• READ Fiction - Toxic Toffee by Amanda Flower 2/3/20
• blog post and Goodreads review
• NF Idea-   Disney's Land by Richard Snow
11. An epistolary book-  
• IDEA-  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky;  The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas
• READ Non Fiction: 84, Charing Cross Road  by Helene Hanff 12/13/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review
12. A book with a calendar month in the the title- TBD


• F Idea-  The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow


13. A book you read in your childhood days
• READ Fiction - From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg 4/17/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review 
14. Book translated into English from another language
• READ Fiction - The Perfect Nanny by Leila Slimani 9/13/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review
15. A book with more than 500 pages
• READ Fiction - The Secret History by Donna Tartt 3/27/20
• blog post and Goodreads review
16. A book that has something to do with sports
• IDEA NF- The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
• READ Fiction: Private Games by James Patterson 4/5/20
• blog post and Goodreads review
17. √ An illustrated book
• READ Fiction:  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis 1/30/20
• blog post and Goodreads review
• READ NF: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant by Roz Chast 7/5/20
• blog post and Goodreads Review 
18. √ A wartime book 
• READ Fiction: The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff comp 1/7/20 
• blog review
• READ NF: The Nazi Officer's Wife  by Edith Hahn Beer 12/29/20
  • blog post and Goodreads Review
19. A book that has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for English
• IDEA- TBD
20. A book earlier reviewed by ABookworms Musing blog