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Category Archives: What I’m Reading

The Buddha In The Attic

The Buddha in the Attic Wonderful poetic book by Julie Otsuka about Japanese girls coming to America in the early 1900s through their journey to interment camps during World War 2. Told entirely in the royal “We” from hundreds of different viewpoints. 129 pages that make a pointellist painting of thousands of lives. I may […]

Graceling

Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Katsa is a Graceling, one of a special kind of people in the 7 kingdoms with a particular gift. Hers is killing. She is an orphan, enslaved to her uncle as a child assassin. Yes, this is NOT one I will be recommending to Ben. Katsa meets Prince Po, a Graceling […]

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti. The story of Helmuth Hubener who as a 16 year old German wrote anti-Nazi propaganda and distributed it with the help of only 2 friends. He was executed. Does this stuff still happen? Hubener lived only 70 years ago. He could live now. I know there are […]

The List

The List by Martin Fletcher Jewish refugees living in London after the end of the war. Awaiting their first child, waiting for news of relatives missing. Political themes of Jews fighting for the right to immigrate to Palestine, to be British citizens. Beautifully written.

Somewhere Towards The End

Somewhere Towards the End: A Memoir is a series of essays written by 89-year old British editor, Diana Athill. Her opening essays about her sexuality and her atheism were perhaps a not what I expected and so took me aback. But her honesty and curiosity about life and growing and being old made for extraordinary […]

Naughty In Nice (A Royal Spyness Mystery) — best one ever! What can I say? Reading these books is like having a cup of tea and a scone in bed. I told Karl I feel like I should own 27 cats when I read these books, but I don’t care!!