The Librarian of Auschwitz is a fictionalized account of real events that occurred in the Auschwitz-Birkenau labor camp, 1944-45. The main character Dita Adler is based on a real person named Dita Polachova Kraus who was 15 years old when she and her parents were rounded up with other Jews from Prague and sent to the Nazi camps. At Auschwitz-Birkenau, Dita worked in what was known as the “family compound” in Block 31. Prisoners here were given “special treatment”; children were allowed to survive and […]
Lizzie Borden took an axe?
4.5 stars. I’d been eyeing this fictionalized account of the Lizzie Borden story for a while so when it was long-listed for the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction, I snagged a copy from my library. After reading it, it’s easy to see why it was longlisted. Schmidt is not fucking around with her prose. See What I Have Done is an incredible piece of writing, especially considering that it’s Schmidt’s debut. This is definitely a work of fiction, but there are huge overlaps with actual […]
The Gifts and Curses of our Ancestors
It’s no secret or shock to anyone with a decent knowledge of history that America is a country built on the backs of enslaved people. When Michelle Obama, speaking at the DNC in 2016, stated that slaves built the White House, it generated waves of shock and faux outrage. How dare she point out a historical fact. I remember not being surprised by her statement at the time nor thinking it should be particularly shocking to anyone, but it was for white people who didn’t […]
A Harsh View of the West, Unblemished by Romanticism
I have been vaguely intending to read this novel for quite a while but I always ended up prioritizing other books, especially since I didn’t actually already have it in my TBR pile. I’ve noticed a few Cannonballers mention the Bookriot Read Harder Challenge and since I’d already read a few books that fit into the various categories, I thought it might be fun to participate, and it also provided a push to finally pick up Lonesome Dove to meet the Western requirement. I was, […]
A Scot and his wolf return home
This is another book with a long lost hero, though in this case it was his own choice to disappear. This book, third in the No Ordinary Hero series by Suzanne Enoch, is set in Scotland where Callum MacCreath discovers that his older brother Ian, Earl of Geiry, is set to marry Rebecca, a childhood friend. While Callum isn’t exactly ready to settle down himself, he realizes that he wants Rebecca and confronts her about it. A family fight ensues, and Callum finds himself shunned […]
Back from the dead, the earl seeks vengeance
This book is the latest in the Rules for the Reckless series, though it’s very easy to read as a stand alone. It is linked somewhat to Ms Duran’s debut book, The Duke of Shadows, which I read last year but completely forgot about for the most part until the end of this one. So whether that’s good or bad, I’m not sure, take it as you will. This is the tale of Liam Devaliant, Earl of Lockwood, who mysteriously disappeared on his wedding night […]
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