Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

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The Tattooist of Auschwitz 
by Heather Morris
Harper Collins, 2018, Fiction, 288 p.
Ludwig (Lale) offers to give himself up to the Nazis in hopes that it will save his family.  He is shipped to Berkenau concentration camp where, by several chance encounters, he becomes the official tattooist, who tattoos the ID numbers on all the prisoners as they enter the camp.  His assignment gives him special privileges which he uses to try to help other prisoners whenever he can.  One prisoner means more to him than all the others, a young woman named Gita. It is his love for her that gives him the courage to try to survive and help her survive as well.

This book was one of the top ten books checked out at the Highland Library last year and that is why I read it even though Holocaust books are always hard for me to read. Though it was hard, I am glad I read it.  It is beautifully written and emotionally powerful.  I actually didn't realize until I read the author's note that it was based on a true story.   It is a great book and I do recommend it but know what you are getting into.  The author doesn't leave much out. There are horrific scenes, though the author has a good sense of how much detail to include.  But harder to read is the sadistic cruelty of many of the guards. Lale's humanity, hope, and love for Gita helps the reader get through the hard parts. This book is available from the Library in print, on CD, as an ebook and e-audiobook.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Pope Joan

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by Donna Woolfolk Cross
Crown Publishers, 1996, Fiction, 422 p
Joan is born to a tyrannical church leader in 814 Frankland.  Joan has an eager mind and an academic aptitude in a time when women were expected to only keep house and care for children.  She convinces her brother to teach her how to read, and catches the eye of a progressive scholar who teachers her Latin and Greek.  When her brother is killed in a Viking raid, Joan decides to cut her hair and assume her brother's identity so that she can continue her studies at a monastery.  There she learns healing lore and her medical skills eventually lead her to become the physician to the Pope.  Fate further takes her hand and leads her to be elected to the Papacy.

I found this title on our library's "Good Reads" book list and couldn't resist.  It is a fictionalization of a real historical legend that there once was a woman who briefly became Pope.  Many scholars discount the story and the Catholic church denies it, but some scholars argue that there are enough historical clues to make it plausible. The novel has many elements that I really enjoyed.  Joan is a complex and endearingly flawed character.  Her relationship with Gerold is likewise complex and believable. I am fascinated by that time period, which the author  has carefully researched and (in an end note) calls the darkest of the dark ages.  I am a bit of a medieval humanities geek, but I think a lot of people who like historical fiction would enjoy this book.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

2019 Top Ten: Intermediate Fiction

Ever wonder what the junior high aged kids in Highland are reading?  During January we will post the top ten lists for items checked out at the Highland Library during 2019.  Here are the top ten  intermediate fiction books:

The Prisoner of Cell 25: by Richard Paul Evans
The Rise of Elgen: by Richard Paul Evans
Storm of Lightning: by Richard Paul Evans
The Final Spark: by Richard Paul Evans
Hunt for Jade Dragon: by Richard Paul Evans
Fall of Hades: by Richard Paul Evans
The Lightning Thief: by Rick Riordan
Fablehaven: by Brandon Mull
The Battle of the Ampere: by Richard Paul Evans
Dragonwatch: by Brandon Mull

Click on the title to find the book in our catalog.  Most are also available on CD or through Overdrive as e-books/e-audiobooks.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Eventown

Eventown
By Corey Ann Haydu
Katherine Tegen Books, 2019, 328 pg., Youth Fiction

Elodee and Naomi are twins, but sometimes they are more alike on the outside and less alike on the inside. Elodee never cared much about this before, they fit together and their differences made them closer. However, once they move to Eventown things begin to change and it seems like Elodee and Naomi are not alike at all - and Naomi seems to hate all those things that are different about her twin. Moving to Eventown was supposed to be a fresh start for their family. A fresh start where people didn't stare, or whisper, or frown at them and wish they could be the Elodee and Naomi from Before. But now people in Eventown are starting to stare at them too. Elodee thought that it would be great living in a town with no cars, perfect sunsets, and the best ice cream ever! Yet, Elodee can't help noticing that they only ever learn one song in music class, there are only three kinds of ice cream, she can't remember things from before Eventown, and nobody likes Elodee's questions at all.

I will admit that this is a book that will surprise you. It is different and doesn't easily fit into any standard genre, which is fitting since it is a story that discusses a lot of the pros and cons of fitting in vs. standing out. The story follows a family that moves to Eventown, a place where everything is perfect all the time. But I would argue that message of the story is that our emotions and memories - both good and bad- are makes our lives so wonderful. If we never knew sadness they we would never really know joy. It is also about how wonderful our lives are when they are filled with different people and that is okay if we are not exactly like everyone else - even those who we are closest to. This book is intended for 8 -12 year olds, but adults might also enjoy it. However, readers should know that the book does discuss suicide (the suicide happens before the book begins, but characters discuss their memories of the event) and depression. A minor character in the book has a lesbian couple for parents, though their relationship is not discussed. There is also one incident where a child uses a swear word.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

2019 Top Ten: Fiction

Ever wonder what your neighbors are reading?  Over the next few weeks, we will post the top ten lists for items checked out at the Highland Library during 2019.  Here are the top ten adult fiction books:

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Before We Were Yours: by Lisa Wingate
Edenbrook: by Juilanne Donaldson
Mistborn, the Final Empire: by Brandon Sanderson
Blackmoore: by Julianne Donaldson
The Way of Kings: by Brandon Sanderson
Secrets of a Charmed Life: by Susan Meissner
Promises and Primroses: by Josi Kilpack
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
The Tattooist of Auschwitz: by Heather Morris

Click on the title to find the book in our catalog.  Most are also available on CD and all are available through Overdrive as e-books/e-audiobooks.


Monday, January 6, 2020

The Library Book

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The Library Book
By Susan Orlean
Simon & Schuster, 2018, Nonfiction, 319 p.
In 1986 there was a terrible fire in the Los Angeles Central Library.  Over 400,000 books either burned or were destroyed by water and over $2,000,000 of damage was done to the building.  Fire investigators thought the fire was the result of arson, and believed that a man, Harry Peal, was the one that held the match, but there was never enough evidence to convict him.  Thirty years later the library has been rebuilt and expanded, but the mystery remains. In this engaging nonfiction Ms Orlean has done an amazing amount of research to lay all the evidence before the reader.  She also gives an fascinating history of one of the US's most innovative libraries, and a peek into what life at the LA Library is like today. Part mystery, part love song to public libraries, this is a great choice for anyone who ever felt at home with a library book in their hand.