REVIEW Stay Alive by Ian Buruma

 

Not going to lie, I'm fascinated by the horror of the Holocaust and why  people do what they do, even though it's been 80 years since Hitler killed himself. There seems to be no end to the books about this dark era of world history and this is one of the recent releases. This book is about living in a city in a country where the average  person has absolutely no control over anything. Buruma was inspired by his grandfather, Leo's experience living in the country during this time period. Leo was a Dutch student who was forced to do factory labor in Berlin. Ian combined this experience with interviews, diaries and letters to try to provide us with a snapshot of what it was like to live in Berlin during the bulk of the fighting. 

There were a number of real life "characters" that we meet - Coco Schumann (a Jewish musician who seemed to hide in plain sight playing Jazz music), Lilo (a 15 year old who initially idolizes the Nazis but who then comes to idolize the people who try to assassinate Hitler), Helmeth Von Motke, a dissident Nazi who gets hung and Erich Alenfeld, a Jew who converted to Christianity and remained a German patriot. Of course, we see Goebbels (whose diaries and letters are quoted extensively).

Given the lack of primary resources at Buruma's disposal, he did a magnificent job in providing the intimate details of people's lives and then placing it within the wider context of the war itself. This is by no means a light or easy book as a result, but it is a necessary and intriguing one. He also doesn't gloss over the experience of the city's Jewish population. Their story is woven into the story of the city as Buruma writes it. 

Definitely a must read but give yourself some grace and take breaks if you need it. 

REVIEW Into the Blue by Emma Brodie

 

This book absolutely surprised me. In a good way.  In this novel, we meet AJ Graves and Noh Drew initially as teenagers and we follow them on an improbable journey that begins with them as teenagers in the early 2000's to adults living and working in entertainment In New York City, where AJ is writing for SNL and Noah Drew is a famous actor. 

I LOVED this book and couldn't put it down. It took over my life from the moment I started it until the moment I finished it like three days later. I read it whenever I had a free moment. When Noah and AJ interact, it felt the same way. ALL CONSUMING. The book is chronological, so you don't have to worry about trying to figure out what is happening when and you can focus on AJ and Noah and what's going with them. You experience everything that AJ is experiencing as she experiences it.  And her feelings are absolutely down to earth and relatable. 

For some odd reason, I didn't know that this book was a romance.  But it's not like a typical romance novel. It had me wanting to read more and it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine either.  and yet, I still enjoyed reading about the romance.  I also really loved reading about NYC and the comedy scene, which is also quite an important character as well.I loved the fan communities as well (there are scenes written at those Comic Cons) and I can't help but wonder if Emma Brodie may have attended one or two herself. 

Definitely worth the read (and re-read). It moves quickly but don't let that fool you - this is by no means a fluffy book. The characters and the stories are real and emotional and well worth it. 

Links I love

 

I'm still recovering from the plague.  It's taking way longer than I want it to and then I expected. Whatever I had was really bad. I have to get a chest CT scan and see a pulmonologist, who I hope will help me get my asthma under control again.  Hoping that I kick it soon!

1. Why Carmel-by-the-Sea has banned chain restaurants. 
2. The only two songs that Ringo wrote for the Beatles. 
3. Did Julius Caesar really say "Et Tu Brute?"
4. 5 biggest misconceptions about the Salem Witch Trials.
5. There are two new Rebecca Yarros books coming out this fall. 
6. Seven novels about the secrets women keep. 
7. TikTok made me buy it. 
8. Was Emerson the true father of American literature?
9. Ten memoirs that explore family estrangement. 
10. Books to read if you loved Hamnet.
11. If you're like me and you like True Crime, check out this list of things to stream or read.
12. Novels set in Montreal. 
13. The best books on WW2 in Asia. 
14. This article on The Dark Crystal is golden.
15. Why the Buffalo Sabres play O, Canada at their games. 
16. 8 common myths about Star Wars.
17. The best books about witches and witch hunts. 
18. The book news isn't all bad.
19. The best Wizard of Oz adaptations ranked. 
20. Magic the Gathering has a Hobbit set. 

Nearly done reading Into the Blue (i had to take a break from my WW2 book because it was heavy!) and listening to The Girls (I was also listening to a fascinating podcast about Michael Jackson called Think Twice).

Here is a link to my Pangobooks store. Enjoy!

REVIEW Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

 

I grabbed this novel because I needed a novel that began with the Letter Z for my Popsugar prompt and had travelled to Montgomery, AL a few years ago for work, where I visited the Fitzgerald home. Zelda has always been somewhat mythologized and I didn't know a lot about her.  The novel is a fictionalized accounting of Zelda's life, beginning with her as a teenager in Montgomery, meeting Scott for the first time at the tail end of World War I. The novel ends with the disintegration of their marriage and Scott's death. 

I really enjoyed getting to know Zelda in this novel.  She's a Southern Belle from a distinguished family, sure, but she's pretty good at not letting people push her around. I was surprised at the things she did when she was living with her parents and then later on when she was travelling with Scott. Her life with her husband was beyond frustrating and I felt mad for her and bad for her at the same time, especially after she had their daughter, Scottie.  It was so heartbreaking. Fowler did a wonderful job making both Zelda and Scott believable characters.  Zelda shown in her own right during this novel, but I could also hear and experience her travails with Scott as they were happening, which is the hallmark of a good novelist. The novel uses solid voices and descriptions that all you to be in the moment with the characters.

The biggest thing that most people associate with Zelda was her mental health break struggles. These seemed to really take off in the later part of her marriage to Scott and this was so in the novel as well.  They didn't seem to manifest for three quarters of the book. However it seems that her physical health and marital struggles caused so much strain on her, that it eventually coopted her mental health as well, causing a break. Even then, I felt that Zelda was portrayed as more misunderstood - she was trying to assert her independence within a marriage to an insecure alcoholic who wanted nothing more than to control her and pigeonhole her into a specific role that he had assigned to her. 

I loved being brought on a whirlwind journey of the 20's and the Jazz Age and learning about this woman from a perspective that I hadn't before considered. 

REVIEW Heartwood by Amity Gaige

 

I needed something a bit quicker and lighter after that last one and I've been wanting to read this one for a while, so I picked it up. This novel focuses on 42-year old Valerie Gillis, a nurse who has disappeared in Maine while hiking the Appalachian Trail a hot minute from finishing on Katahdin, and the gripping search and rescue operation run by Beverly, a dedicated Lieutenant with the Maine Game Wardens (think Fish and Game officer). Beverly was one of the first women hired by the Wardens and, I think, the first woman to become a Lt in the agency. She's dedicated and determined and has been known for finding even the most lost of the lost, but in conducting this search, all of her teams (including flyovers and dogs) have come up empty. It also focuses on 76 year old Lena, a wheelchair bound woman living in an assisted living community that has been estranged from her own daughter, a nurse, for years.From the start there was a sense of urgency that is a subtle undercurrent. Valerie has a limited amount of food and water and isn't a very experienced hiker, so she and the people searching for her know that she is on seemingly borrowed time. As each moment slips by, so do the chances of finding her alive. 

I loved this book. On many levels. I love books set in the wilderness and hiking, both of which are loves of mine.  I've been working on doing all of my 48 4000 footers in NH for years so any book where the wilderness or hiking or both are main characters are a natural draw for me. The way that the book is told - shifting between the perspectives of the three women - is one of my favorite methods of storytelling and is very effective here. The women talk a lot about the hardships that they have suffered that have contributed to who they are as the search goes on - Bev being the first woman (and a tall one at around six feet tall), Lena with the relationship with her daughter and being wheelchair bound and Valerie slowly starving. For me, this was very interesting - I love a good backstory. The relationships between the women and their moms or daughters is also a large character in this novel.

I loved Bev.  I thought that she was compelling and I found myself pulling for her throughout all stages of the novel. The characters were  compelling and the book moved at a very fast pace. I read it in about three days tops. It's a page turner for sure.  

Def give it a shot. 

Links I love

 

I hope that everyone had a good week!  Still mending.,..but I think I'm on the mend.  The doctor said I'm not wheezing or have other weird noises coming from my lungs, which was decidedly NOT the case the last time that I was there so that's good.  Sleep, water and light walking for me until I'm better. I also now hate my inhalers but hey, they're necessary so whatever.  

My son has committed to UNH for college in the fall, so I'm starting to crochet a blanket with him in the school colors. I will hopefully have it done by then!

• Why is everyone so obsessed with Nantucket?
• Billy Joel's favorite and least favorite Billy Joel songs. 
• The best historical novels set in the 1980's?
• 5 defining dramatic tropes that started with Shakespeare.
• 4 reasons to never rent a stroller in WDW.
• Books worth three million dollars surface in NYC.
• These were the most challenged books of 2025.
• Some literary mysteries that take place in the 1980's.
• What actually happens to your brain when you don't sleep.
• 4 theories about Edgar Allen Poe's death that can't be explained. 
• 6 facts about climate change. 
• Check out this article on Labyrinth, the movie. 
• Why is it easier to remember faces than names?
• Has anyone read books by Marian Keyes?
• This looks good.
• How bookstores choose the books they stock.
• Readers still prefer print books - I certainly do. 
• Books with older protagonists. 
• 25 gifts for moms who are also writers. 
• Ten books about neurodivergent characters.
• Want to read more - try these five tips.
• The finalists have been announced for the NYPL's young lions award. 
• Saturday was Indie bookstore day and here are some great ones from around the world.  I love The Bookery in Manchester, NH, Gibson's in Concord, NH, The Little Village Toy and Book Shop in Littleton, NH and Powell's in Portland, OR (I can spend like two days there).
• Solo time in nature is helpful for our health.
• Are you a doomer? I might be.
• Shakespeare's home was hidden in plain sight. For years.
• Was Rex Heuermann's wife in the know?
• One of my favorite local coffee shops is expanding.
• Does your library have its own reading list?
• Book Tok has released its first bestseller list. 
• For those of you that like Haruki Murakami (like I do), he has a new book coming out with a female main character. 

Please take some time to visit my Pangobooks store!

I'm currently reading Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler and listenin to The Girls by Emma Cline. 

REVIEW Nobody's Girl by Virginia Giuffre

 

This posthumously published memoir presents us with a reckoning of trauma and sexual abuse that started when Ms. Giuffre was living with her father and ended with her being caught in one of the biggest sex trafficking rings that we are aware of - the one run by convicted pedophiles and traffickers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Ms. Giuffre reportedly died by suicide just prior to the memoir being published. 

The first half of the memoir details Giuffre's sexual abuse, first at the hands of her father and a family friend, and then at the hands of Epstein and Maxwell, who she meets after fleeing from her home and becoming employed at Mar-a-Lago, of all places. TRIGGER WARNING: this part of the book is horrific and discusses sexual abuse, so tread with caution.

Giuffre is able to escape from Epstein and Maxwell. She marries, has three children and relocates to live in Australia with her husband, their family and his parents. But Epstein and Maxwell's acts are still an insidious part of her life, even as she has seemingly moved onto another life. Giuffre, to her credit, feels called to hold her abusers accountable for what they did to her and to hundreds of other CHILDREN by testifying in court cases, giving interviews and filing lawsuits. 

I was hesitant to read this book because of the content, frankly but I ended up drawn into the book. I read it in two days.  It is a compelling tale of a young woman who is calling out her abusers and how wealthy, powerful people consistently use their privilege to avoid compliance with the law and hurt the children around them. Undoubtedly, Giuffre is brave for the steps that she took in advocating for herself and other trafficking victims and in writing this memoir, but I can't help but wonder at what cost. While writing seems to have arced towards redemption, her death makes me question whether it was truly therapeutic and helpful for her. This shouldn't detract from you reading this memoir - it is an important and well written one, albeit a hard one to read at times.

Definitely read this, but make sure to take care of yourself at the same time.