The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond

What if Hitler had won WWII? What would our world look like? That is what this book sets out to answer

This is a young adult book, which was highly recommended to me by Darcy. She read it in grade 5 and then bought it when given the opportunity at a used book sale at school. She was fascinated by the book and kept on insisting that I read it too. I finally picked it up this past weekend.

Germany and Japan have divided the former United States between them, with Italy taking the west coast and Germany ruling the east coast. So 16-year old Zara St. James is growing up in the Eastern American Territories. She is an orphan (abandoned by her Japanese father and her mother died in a rebel-led raid against the Nazis) being raised by her Uncle in the Shenandoah region of the former United States. She is forced to work cleaning a school for German students where she meets Bastian, the son of the local Nazi Colonel. Rebel forces are assembling throughout the former United States, determined to overthrow the Nazi regime. That is how Zara's mother died and it makes her Uncle extra protective of her.

As you can imagine, the world created by the Nazis is not a pleasant one. Zara is determined to join the rebels and fight for her freedom. Her uncle is hesitant to allow this, but Zara has special skills that could be vital to the success of the rebel's mission. And what are Bastian's true feelings? Can he be trusted?

This was a fun little book and an interesting concept. How would life be different if WWII hadn't ended the way it did? It is definitely far-fetched (humans with super powers have been developed) but still interesting. It's a great way for a younger audience to think a bit about the freedoms they enjoy and what was necessary to make those possible.

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Our book club took a funny turn this month and I'm so grateful! While dealing with fairly serious subject matter, Sophie Kinsella has come up with a funny, engaging novel full of great characters. I wouldn't have expected a book about a teen dealing with mental health issues to be so funny, but it really is.

Audrey is a teenager in England who experienced some serious trauma at her school. That is not fully explained, but it seems to have been some serious bullying from a group of girls who are jealous of her academic and sports success. As a result of this bullying she suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and likely some PTSD (her medical diagnosis is also never fully explained except to say that she is not bipolar). She needs to leave school and spend some time at home getting healthy before moving to a new school.

At home she is surrounded by her parents and her brothers Frank and Felix. Teenaged Frank is, according to their Mum, a video game addict and Mum is determined to get him off the computer and into the outdoors. Felix is only four and adds a lot of humour to the different situations. Frank's friend Linus is also a frequent visitor to their house and becomes very special to Audrey and a big part of her healing.

It doesn't seem like a book about extreme bullying and the subsequent anxiety should be funny but these characters just seem so real. The Mum is absolutely hysterical in her determination to end Frank's video game addiction. Audrey's counsellor gives her the task of making a movie as part of her therapy and the scenes she captures of her family around the house are so funny. I once found myself laughing out loud in a medical waiting room while reading this book.

I do find that Audrey's healing is a little too tidy and easy. I've never dealt with anxiety myself but from what I understand from others who have, it's not that easy. But I do understand that's what fits with the tone of the book. It does seem to give a fairly accurate picture of what happens in an anxiety attack and how someone living with them has to adapt their life as a result of them.

It is a very quick, easy read and highly enjoyable.

A Thread of Grace by Mary Doria Russell

This was our book club's selection for our January meeting (we met on January 17th) and I finished the book today (February 5th). I think that's my worst ever finish for a book club book, unless you count the one I didn't read at all. We had a lot going on in January and I wasn't always in the mood to read a book about the ending days of World War II, so I didn't always want to pick it up at the end of the day. When you're only reading a few pages at a time, 426 pages can last a long time!

The last 100 pages, although brutal in their depiction of the end of the war, were completely compelling and I have been reading a lot over the last two days to get to the end, but I'm getting ahead of myself...

This isn't the story of one person in particular, but many people living in Italy in the early to mid-1940's. It is mainly the story of Jewish Italians (and also some others from nearby countries who had fled to Italy) trying to survive the German attacks of WWII and the Catholic Italians trying to keep them safe. Because there are many characters and interweaving storylines it can be hard to keep everyone straight. Especially when characters are changing their names to protect themselves! I really appreciated the character list included in the beginning of the book to help keep everyone straight. If you choose to read this book, I would recommend a print edition rather than an electronic one, so you can easily refer back to this list and some maps printed in the front of the book.

It is a story of faith, hope, perseverance in the worst possible circumstances, family, and bravery of many different kinds. Characters will grow and stretch themselves in ways that didn't seem possible at the beginning of the book. People who would likely have never had anything to do with each in peace time will risk their lives to save each other. It's really unlike anything else I've ever read and an incredibly powerful portrayal of the final days of the war.

When I had the privilege of visiting a Canadian War Cemetary in Holland one thing that struck me was the number of soldiers who died in the final days of the war, or even after the war was over. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of some of those final battles and the desperation that led to many of those deaths, and the deaths of many civilians as well.

It's been a while since I cried while reading a book, but the last few chapters brought me to tears a few times (a scene of Last Rites being given in a torture chamber wiped me out). Some shocking things happen and are written in a way that completely caught me off guard. The ending of one chapter even made me think of the ending of The Sopranos. Very powerful, captivating writing that told the story beautifully.

I rated this book a 5 on Goodreads. I rarely do that. I would like to read it again one day to get a better understanding of many of the little storylines. But not for a while. I feel like this book will haunt me for a long time. I'm glad our next selection is much lighter. My brain needs a bit of a break!

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

This was a rare book that I chose to read just for fun, not for school or book club or any other reason. Reading just because I wanted to read. What a fun idea! This one had been highly recommended to me, so I picked it up. I finished it in one week, which is a record for me recently. Of course it was a week of vacation, with two long train rides, but still, I finished it quickly.

Broken into two sections, this non-fiction book tells the story of the people of Savannah, Georgia and a murder that happened there in the 1980's. In the first section you meet many of the characters in the book through interviews they each held with the author when he first visited there from his home in New York City. But after he was there for a short time, one of the men he met there murdered a man and claimed it was self defense. The rest of the book tells the story of his trials and the effects his trouble had on others in the city (how can we have a Christmas party if Jim is in prison???).

I saw the movie adaptation of this book years ago and didn't like it, so I was hesitant to read the book. But after hearing that the movie was nothing like the book I decided to give it a try. I was drawn in immediately. The characters really come alive for you. They are all so incredible you often forget you are reading non-fiction (although the author does admit to a few artistic liberties). Then when the murder happens the story unfolds in a really compelling way. I couldn't get enough of it and couldn't wait to find out what would happen to Jim. It is a great mystery and told incredibly well.

So I highly recommend this book for a fascinating people study, but be prepared. You will probably want to take a trip to Savannah when you are done to see these people for yourself!

The Price of Life by Nigel Brennan, Nicky Bonney and Kellie Brennan

About a year ago I read the book A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett. It is the true story of Amanda's abduction and 15-month captivity in Somalia. Taken alongside Amanda was Nigel Brennan, an Australian photogropher with whom she had previously been romantically involved. The Price of Life is Nigel's account of their experiences.

Amanda's story talked about what she dealt with during their time in captivity. As a woman, Amanda was treated horribly and was abused in every imaginable way. It was clear from her account that Nigel's experience was different so I was interested to read his version of the events as well. It has taken me this full year to get the book from the library.

Nigel's story is co-authored by his sister and sister-in-law, who tell what it was like for them back in Australia during the time of Nigel's kidnapping and everything the family had to do (while working with Amanda's family in Canada, and both country's governments) to try to get them free. One review I read before I read this book said the reader hated that part of the story and skipped over it, but it was my favourite part of the book. Imagine having a family member captured in a dangerous part of the world. Wouldn't you do everything you could to get them free? I found it a bit difficult to follow because there were so many people involved in getting Nigel and Amanda released (no spoiler alert, we already know they've been released because they're writing their books) but on the whole their accounts gave a great perspective to the story.

Nigel gives an honest account of all that happened and you really feel the toll it took on him emotionally and physically. Amanda's story told a bit of her PTSD after she returned home but Nigel's didn't really get into that. I would also like to hear what the transition home was like for him and how he dealt with his return to day-to-day life.

So if you've read A House in the Sky I do recommend this one as a good follow up to get the whole story. But get in line at the library because the wait is long. As this is an Australian book it isn't widely available in print copies in North America, but digital copies are for sale. A heavy, upsetting read, but very interesting.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

My book club has decided to take a light approach to December, and this was our selection. It is a children's book so I read it this afternoon while my car was being rustproofed. It's only 79 pages so it is a fast, fun read. It was just a delightful little book. I can't wait for Darcy to read it too.

It tells the story of a small town preparing for their annual Christmas pageant. Every year it's the same thing. The same wise men, the same shepherds, the same Mary and Joseph. Until the Herdman family hears that you get free refreshments at Sunday School and decide to show up. The Herdman children usually spend their time smoking cigars and setting things on fire, so a Christmas pageant is very out of character for them. But when the 6 Herdman children are given leading roles in this year's pageant, things suddenly look very different from other years.

This book is hilarious and poignant. It made me laugh and once or twice brought a little tear to my eye. If you're looking for a great Christmas read, I can't recommend this one highly enough. If you have read Wally Lamb's Wishin' and Hopin', this is a very similar read, and now they are two of my favourites to read at Christmas.

Mightier Than the Sword by Jeffrey Archer

I have enjoyed reading Jeffrey Archer's books since I accidentally stumbled across First Among Equals as a teenager. This is book is the fifth in his current series, The Clifton Chronicles. I always like to finish a series once I start it, but after book four I was getting bored with this series. I wasn't sure if I was going to read this book or not, but I'm glad I did as it seems to have recaptured the excitement that I first enjoyed with this series.

The series follows the life of Harry Clifton who is now around 50 years old, a successful author and a loving husband and father. His wife Emma, son Sebastian, brother-in-law Giles are some of the other main characters with a few recurring villains as well.

In this book Emma is facing challenges as the Chairman of the Board of her family's shipping company, Harry is campaigning for the release of a Russian author who was imprisoned for writing a biography of Stalin which the Russian government doesn't want reaching the hands of the public. Archer takes us from London to Russia, to the US, to East Berlin as the family faces each difficulty.

It's not going to be an award-winning book, but it was a fun, light read and had compelling plot lines. Jeffrey Archer has a great way of telling a story. I love the way he leaks little clues as the stories move along and the fun ways he has of revealing surprises, often in a court room or board room. The "bad guys" are usually brought to justice with a surprising twist. It is a bit formulaic, but still fun. I do recommend the series. Book four was a bit weak, as I said before, but on the whole the series will give you what Jeffrey Archer is known for: a fun page-turner with lots of surprises.

Side note: My all time favourite Jeffrey Archer story is a short story which appeared in his book 12 Red Herrings. The first story in the book is entitled Trial and Error. I loved it!