Every Man Dies Alone

Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada

This book was based on an actual Gestapo file.

Fallada was given the file after the war by a friend and after reading through the entire file, he sat down and wrote a fictionalized version of the story in about 24 days and 539 pages.

This was a very engaging story about a couple living in Berlin during World War II.  They voted for Hitler the first time but later became disillusioned by his regime.  After their son is killed in the war, they decide they must do something to speak out against the lies and propaganda of the Nazi regime.

This is the story of their day to day lives and the lives of those people who are geographically close to them. Because of this, these others become embroiled at some point or another in the saga.  It is a tragedy many times over.

This was an excellent book and I highly recommend it.

Fallada wrote quite a few other books and it looks like they have all been translated into English.

Day After Night

Day After Night by Anita Diamante

This book is based on a true story.  It is the tale of the rescue of more than two hundred Jewish refugees.  They were being held as prisoners for illegal immigration into Israel after World War II.  The British Military were running this prison near Haifa.

The story is told from the voices of four young women who had all survived the holocaust in a different way. They were all plagued with the ghosts of their past and the things they had done to survive but were looking forward to a new life.  A life after death, a day after night.

This book was extremely well written and I really enjoyed it a great deal.

Diamante also wrote the Red Tent which I thoroughly enjoyed several years ago. She has another book The Last Days of Dogtown that is on my "to read" list.

The Kitchen House

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

Seven-year-old Lavinia left Ireland with her parents and brother.  When she arrives in the United States, she is orphaned and soon to be separated from her brother.  The ships captain kindly takes her home so that she can work off her passage.

Being a white girl indentured with black slaves causes a great deal of social confusion in Lavinia's life.  It isn't until she is married with a young child that she starts to really realize "the way things are."

This is Historical Fiction in that the author has re-created the life-style of slaves and slave owners of Virginia. The characters are all fictional but they are characters that, for the most part, are believable and have depth of character.  The one character that is lacking, I wonder if it wasn't on purpose since he was never really present anyway.

This is the only book by this author but I would read another if she wrote one.

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade

Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade by Diana Gabaldon

This is book 2 in the Lord John series.  It follows the timeline of the previous book and gives us more insight to Lord John Grey.  We get to see his inner torment to be true to himself and his family without revealing his homosexuality to the world.

Again, I continue to enjoy these books.  It looks like there are a couple of Lord John books that are not part of this series but were published before the next book in the series.  I think I will go with publication dates and read them in that order and see where it gets me.

An Echo in the Bone

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

This is book 7 in the Outlander series.  It takes us further into the American Revolution and gives us an up-close view of a few battles that took place between the American Army, such as it was, and the militia troops against the British Army and the Colonial Army (Americans for England).

I think Gabaldon does a great job with her historical research and I am still enjoying the story line of the Frasers and Mackenzies.

This book had a twist in that Brianna and Roger took their children back to the present.  Really they went back to the 1980's but in the grand scheme of the book series that is the present.  They were able to "keep in touch" with Brianna's parents through a stack of letters that were held for over a hundred years at the Bank of Edinburgh and then delivered to Roger's uncle the Reverend Wakefield.  The good Reverend thoughtfully hung onto the box that had a metal plaque engraved with the name of Roger and Brianna's son.

When reading about time-travel, one must suspend all disbelief and just go with it and see where it leads.  I really enjoy these books.  There is a companion series that I am planning to start although I have a couple other books on my to read list first.

The Winter of the World

The Winter of the World - Book 2 of the Century Trilogy by Ken Follett

This book takes us from 1933 through 1949.  Once again, we are following five families from Wales, England, America, Germany and Russia.

I have decided that in a book such as this where we know the historical outcomes, a novelization of the scenario becomes that much more tense and anticipatory.  I was just waiting to see which characters would be part of famous scenes and who would survive and who wouldn't.

This is the kind of book that is hard to put down and I would have loved to just been able to read non-stop.  As it was, I had a couple very busy weeks and couldn't read as much as I liked.  It took me 16 days to read the 940 pages of this book.  I feel like starting all over again because it was so engaging.

Follett has created some very rich and real characters in this trilogy.  By having most of his characters placed in a political position in the first book, he was able to keep them in a position of action or knowledge as the First and then the Second World War unfolded.  There was a review on Amazon that someone was complaining that it wasn't plausible that all these people could meet and connect the way they do in the book.  I disagree.  I think that the circle of people in charge is not a very large one and the idea that a Senator and his son could encounter someone in the Red Army Intelligence community during a summit in World War II is completely believable.  Also, this is a work of fiction so there are certain conveniences that the readers just need to go with.

I love this series and I think I'll need to re-read Fall of Giants and then Winter of the World again just before Book 3 is released.

On a side note, October is banned books month so your next book should be one that has been banned.  Tomorrow ends the official Banned Books Week but check out the website www.bannedbooksweek.org for a list of books to choose from.  I found I have read plenty.  How about you?

The Dark Monk

The Dark Monk: A Hangman's Daughter Tale by Oliver Potzsch

This is the second book in the Hangman's Daughter series.  There is a third book and I will be reading it.

This is really fun historical fiction.  Potzsch began his story with his own geneology.  His ancestor Jacob Kuisl who was the hangman of Schongau in Bavaria.  His own family had many generations of hangmen from which he could draw information.

This book begins in 1648.  Potzsch has once again created a great murder mystery while combining the historical information of the area, some of the people who actually lived then and there as well as what life would have been like during that time.

At the end of the book, Potzsch lets his readers know which characters and scenes are historical and which are fiction.  He also gives us a walking/biking tour of the region and the settings in the book.  If I ever get to Bavaria, I will definitely check it out.

A Breath of Snow and Ashes

A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon

Book 6 of the Outlander series does not disappoint.

The book begins in 1772 and the American Revolution is closing in on the people of Fraser's Ridge North Carolina.  The key people know what is to come and they know the outcome so they know which side they will need to be on to survive.  Just how to manage it is the issue.

Jamie Fraser is requested to work as the King's liason to the indians in the area.  As much as Jaime doesn't want to work for the king in such a public manner, the alternative person would wreak havoc in the area.  Jaime decides it's in everyone's best interest to take the job.  Later, he will have a hard time convincing everyone on both sides of the conflict just where his loyalties lie.

Always looming in the distance is the knowledge of the newspaper story about the demise of Jaime and Claire in the year 1776.

I will definitely keep reading and I am thinking of reading her supporting books in the Lord John Grey series.

The Fiery Cross

The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon

This book continues the Outlander series - book 5.  The year is 1771.

Claire and Jamie are living in the colony of North Carolina on what is called Fraser's Ridge.  War is coming and they are trying to survive their day to day life as well as the volatile politics of the time.

As always, Gabaldon has painted a vivid picture of life during this time.  It really makes me appreciate the luxuries of our modern world.

The love stories of Claire and Jamie as well as their daughter Brianna and Roger continue.  The romance aspect of this series is secondary to the research of the history at the time.

I continue to love these books.  They are fantastically fun escape books.

The Drums of Autumn

The Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon

This is book 4 of the Outlander series.  While this series is classified as historical fiction, my sister just pointed out that it is also considered a romance novel.  Admittedly the first book and even parts of the second were very romance related, I think the historical novel aspect outshines the romance.

This book takes Brianna, the daughter of Jamie and Claire back in time to search for her parents and warn them of their impending deaths.  Hot on her heels is Roger Mackenzie Wakefield who knows why she has gone but doesn't believe the past can be changed.

This book has pirates, theft, rape, the building of a house and a community. The politics of the Colonies under King George as well as interactions with the various indian tribes in the North Carolina area - some peaceful, some not.

I am enjoying this series and I plan to keep reading.  It is good escapist reading to fill in the gaps between other books.  I do with there was a bit more history although I think Gabaldon has done a good job painting a mental picture of the time and how people lived.  She makes it easy to see how people built their homesteads and farms and slowly built a life that brought in enough to feed their family for a year but also a little extra for the things they couldn't grow or raise themselves.

Angelology

Angelology by Danielle Trussoni

This book supposes that Genesis 6:5 is a record of how angels of heaven mated with human women and children were born.  These children were Nephilim and they walk the earth still.  God tried to cleanse the earth of the Nephilim during the Deluge.  One of the Nephilim killed Noah's son Napheth and used magic to appear to be Napheth.  After the flood, the sons of Noah spread across the land to repopulate.  Napheth and his family went to Europe.  All children of Napheth after this time were actually Nephilim.  These children were more ruthless than the human children that had been born to the real Napheth.  The Nephilim were more war-like and devious and had a tendency to be more financially and politically benefited in their lives.

Throughout time a group of humans called angelologist have been at war with the Nephilim.  They spend their time scouring ancient texts for clues of the family lines of Nephilim.  They are determined to stop at nothing until they can destroy all Nephilim on the planet and keep them from ruling over and manipulating the humans.

This books weaves Mythology, Legend and Biblical tales to create a thriller in modern day New York.

I found the basis interesting although it was really hard to get into the book at first.  I didn't really like the ending although I understand Trussoni is probably going to write more books in this series so it did set up for another.  If you want a thriller that is different from most, this is definitely it.  This is historical fiction in that it recounts some pretty ancient scenarios of biblical scholars alleged to be angelologist in the book.

Voyager

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

Book 3 in the Outlander series is pretty much non-stop action and adventure.

Just when you think Claire and Jaime are going to have some peaceful time together and talk about what has happened in the last 20 years of their lives, something happens.

I am still liking this series and I like the fact that Gabaldon has them travel all over the place. This book landed them in the West Indies for a time. Another thing I like is that a seemingly inconsequential scenario will come back again later in the story line. Like any good mystery we have to keep countless amounts of information at the front of our brain just waiting for the appropriate time to use it.

I know the next book involves their daughter, Brianna quite a bit and as it ended on the shores of Georgia in colonial America, it should be an interesting read. Gotta read my book club book first though.