Book 45: In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer

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In My HandsIn My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer, by Irene Gut Opdyke

“In My Hands” starts with the author writing to the reader that if she tried to tell you what really happened during the war, told you everything at once, you wouldn’t understand it. She includes an image that you won’t comprehend until later in the book, the image of a bird falling, a bird that is not a bird. And as you come to understand what the bird really is, your heart will break, and you will know just what Irene means.

Born in 1922, in Poland, Irene had a happy childhood and a normal life. As a young child, she is saved from death by the family dog, and many in her village are convinced this means she has a great and promising life ahead of her. But for a girl in the 1920s, there weren’t many adventures available, and drawn to helping people, Irene decided to go to nursing school.

On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Irene’s school was on the border, and she was immediately thrust into the war as a student nurse, then as a member of the Polish resistance. Living in the woods, part of an army without a country, Irene was selected to go on a mission into a nearby town and was captured by a Russian patrol who raped her and left her for dead. That experience alone would be enough to break almost anybody, but not Irene. The rape is merely the first of an indescribable number of hardships she endured during World War II; I often had tears in my eyes while reading this book. Irene lived through several lifetimes during the war, and while I am around the same age as her, I couldn’t imagine surviving anything that she went through.

Irene’s story is so many things – it is one of hope, one of courage, one of resistance, one of overcoming the odds, one of doing the right thing. A prisoner herself, while working in a German hotel, Irene did all she could to help those around her, including smuggling out food, warnings, and even hiding 12 Jews in a German officer’s home.

Once I started “In My Hands,” I couldn’t put it down. Irene’s story captivated me from beginning to end, and as I came to understand the metaphor of the bird that she starts her story with, I agreed with her. There is no way I could have understood all that she wanted to tell me if I didn’t know the whole story, if I didn’t know everything she endured and fought for. I found myself wanting to tell everyone I could about her story, and it led to a great talk between my father and myself (we’re both history nerds).

While “In My Hands” is marketed as a young adult book, I believe it’s beneficial for anyone, of any age, to read it and absorb it. Irene was moved to write her story after hearing that some groups claimed the Holocaust was a hoax, and she spoke for 30 years, imbuing a message of hope and tolerance to children across the country. Hands down, this is the best book I’ve read all year, and I wish I could thank the author.

5/5.

Book 44: Criminal Minds: Killer Profile

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Killer ProfileCriminal Mind: Killer Profile, by Max Allan Collins

Chicago is plagued by a series of seemingly unrelated murders. A couple shot to death in a car. Two women strangled in a park. A male body found in a barrel. Because the crimes are spread out over the city, the different police departments haven’t seen any connection, and who would see a connection between such crimes, anyway?

The BAU, or the Behavioral Analysis Unit, does. When one of the members of the unit sees crime scene photos, he knows that the cops are dealing with a copycat killer – someone copying the crimes of famous serial killers. But can the famous FBI agents of the TV series “Criminal Minds” track a killer who’s hiding behind the profiles of others?

“Killer Profile” is a tie-in novel and reads like an episode of the TV show it’s based on. Collins creates an interesting plot by using the crimes of famous serial killers such as John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy for his suspect, who copies each crime, but also improves on them. This allows for plenty of trivia, and a chance to follow the profiling process as the BAU team attempts to figure out what would drive a person to copycat.

“Killer Profile” is a good book for “Criminal Minds” fans, but it can also be read by someone without knowledge of the show. It’s a self-contained book, and Collins describes the characters well enough that you don’t have to have seen the show to know what’s going on.

4/5.

Book 43: Criminal Minds: Jump Cut

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Jump CutCriminal Minds: Jump Cut, by Max Allan Collins

In a town in Kansas homeless people are being found murdered, cleaned up, and dressed in clean clothes. It’s a case for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, a FBI profiling team out of Quantico, a team mainly featured in the TV drama “Criminal Minds.”

“Jump Cut” is very true to the show it is based on, with Collins capturing the essence of each of the profilers, and creating a plot that would fit right into the series. The format of the book even matches the show’s format, including voice-over quotes, scenes from the perspective of the UnSub, and trivia from real-life related cases. I felt like I was almost reading an episode, and could imagine each character’s voice talking to me as the book progressed. I only have a few complaints: Collins sometimes puts too much into details, such as describing what every person is wearing, and the book starts off slowly.

I’d say this is a good book for anyone who’s a fan of “Criminal Minds” and may want something to tide them over between episodes. I personally liked reading the profiling process being described, rather than shown as in episodes.

3/5.

Book 42: Meredith Gentry 7: Swallowing Darkness

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Swallowing DarknessMeredith Gentry #7: Swallowing Darkness, by Laurell K. Hamilton

There is a lot going on in “Swallowing Darkness” and not all of it is good. While some plot lines from previous novels are finally resolved, they are usually done so in a “telling” rather than showing manner. It is a relief though to finally see something brought to a finish, as some of the books in the series meandered and didn’t really accomplish a whole lot other than stretching out the story.

Merry is much harsher then ever before – now that she is finally pregnant, Hamilton uses that as an excuse for her new attitude – protecting herself, her unborn children, and their fathers at all costs, and hell with everybody else. Merry even goes so far as to draw the Illinois National Guard into sidhe conflicts, threatening the lives of dozens of humans so she can stay alive. This seems like a far cry from the Merry of previous novels, a character was merciful and gentle, and who generally tried to avoid bloodshed.

Without trying to spoil too much, Merry’s goal also changes in this novel, and she ponders giving up the throne for the men she loves. Again, different character from the one in the previous books – many many times Merry told readers how she would take the Unseelie throne because she was the best choice, between her sadistic aunt and insane cousin.

I will say that I enjoyed “Swallowing Darkness” on the surface, but if I dug too deeply I didn’t like it as much. It seems as if Hamilton spent 6 books building a plot, world, and characters, and then in 1 book changed way too many things to sum things up and move on to something else.

3/5.

Loot

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So the Waldens in my local mall is going out of business, and they had 30% off paperbacks. I went a little wild maybe…

But I plan to go check again next week for more books, I couldn’t carry anymore today.

Week 8 Wrapup

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Well, two months in, 41 books read. Not too shabby, considering I was doing 6 college classes at the same time. But now fall semester is over, and I have a month-long break. Hopefully I can get a ton of books read over break, maybe I’ll aim for one a day? Eh, we’ll see.

Because I’m crazy, I’m starting another blog. This one is for my World of Warcraft related activities, which is something I’ve wanted to do for quite a while. I had actually planned to start one about six months ago, but some things kept that from happening. Paladin Squared is the name of my new WoW blog. This week I’ll fix things up over there.

Not much else to say this week…oh, right. I got my Amazon order in the mail, so I have yet another pile of books to read. For some reason having a lot of books waiting to be read is comforting…one of my friends says I have a book fetish. Hah!

Book 41: Ghosts of War

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Ghosts of WarGhosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI, by Ryan Smithson

Not often does a book leave me speechless, but the difficult subject and beautiful writing in “Ghosts of War” did. Ryan Smithson was 19 when he was deployed to Iraq as a member of the Army Reserves. He tells the story of his platoon and so many like it overseas, the ones who are working to rebuild the country and make it safe for other troops and citizens, the ones who interact with villagers and the poorer people of Iraq. Not the ones who are busting down doors, searching for weapons caches or other types of activities that make the news. Smithson and his fellow soldiers are the unsung heroes of the war.

Smithson writes a moving memoir, that starts with his reaction to September 11, 2001, and his decision to join the Army Reserves, to his year long deployment overseas. The book ends with his return home and the difficulty in adjusting to life again, after living in a combat zone, and how he used writing as therapy for PTSD. The bulk of the book is about his year in Iraq, a year in which he saw the human side of war. Many of the most moving parts of the book are when he describes encounters with Iraqi children, who were almost pathetically grateful for something as simple as clean water. “Ghosts of War” is also a power emotional and mental journey for both the author and the reader, as Smithson ponders what freedom really means, what is faith – questions that are answered during training, missions, and reflection.

I just can’t say enough about this book. I’ve always been against the war, but it was a general feeling. Reading “Ghosts of War” made me think about the individual soldiers, people who joined the armed forces because they want to do something, they want to protect American freedom. A particularly enlightening part for me came near the end, when Smithson went to a high school with another recruiter. On the way to the high school, the other recruiter told Smithson that the kids they were about to see wouldn’t really care to hear them, wouldn’t listen – they’d think he was just one more brainwashed grunt. I know I felt that way when I listened to recruiters in high school; but as I said, now my opinion is very different. I will now appreciate and thank the soldiers I see. Thank you for opening my eyes.

“Ghosts of War” is an excellent book for adults or young adults, especially teenagers who are considering joining the armed forces. Smithson’s memoir gives an accurate picture of army life, from basic training to deployment and back, that may answer questions they didn’t know they had. It’s also a great book to open discussion between parents and their children, about the war, about the army. I had my own father look at it, as he had been in the Reserves during Vietnam, and the book prompted many questions for me to ask him.

The writing is moving and will suck you in; I didn’t want to put it down once I started. Some of the experiences related left me tearing up, and some had me cracking up with laughter. Overall, a wonderful book.

5/5.

Book 40: Meredith Gentry 6: A Lick of Frost

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A Lick of FrostMeredith Gentry #6: A Lick of Frost, by Laurell K. Hamilton

FINALLY! “A Lick of Frost” returns the Meredith Gentry series to the promise of the first two books – the action is back with a very fast paced plot, and for once, there isn’t a deluge of sexual action.

The novel opens with Merry and some of her guards in a lawyer’s office, defending accusations of rape on a Seelie sidhe woman. King Taranis, the ruler of the Seelie court, the court of light and goodness, went to human police and pressed charges against Galen, Rhys, and Abeloec – breaking an unwritten rule of faerie law. You don’t go outside of faerie for justice. So obviously Taranis has some trick up his sleeve, but will Merry figure it out in time?

It quickly becomes clear that Taranis has gone insane – the thin veneer of sanity lifts when Merry denies him, and he attacks her guards in front of humans, nearly killing Doyle. Another spin comes when one of the king’s nobles offers her the Seelie throne, which quickly puts Merry’s sadistic aunt, Queen Andais of the Unseelie, into a very bad mood. The action continues after that, continuing several plot threads that haven’t been seen for a few books; but notably, many of the guards that Merry acquired have no lines at all, and aren’t even mentioned. Why introduce a ton of new characters, and then leave them out?

I’m so-so on this book. On one hand I enjoyed it quite a bit, as there was finally more action and plot then sex scenes. As I’ve said in other reviews of books in this series, I don’t read for the sex – I read because I like the world Hamilton has created. Finally, in “A Lick of Frost,” there’s some development, there’s something happening. And also, there’s finally some tragedy – with all the assassination attempts in the series and danger, no one has been seriously hurt, which is somewhat unrealistic. But, on the other hand, some things left me confused. Apparently a month has passed since “Mistral’s Kiss,” but I don’t know what happened in that month; I think it’s implied that Merry’s been busy in the bedroom trying to get pregnant so she can take the throne, but come on. The ending also feels rushed, and jumps from A to B a little too quickly.

3/5.

Book 39: Meredith Gentry 5: Mistral’s Kiss

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Mistral's KissMeredith Gentry #5: Mistral’s Kiss, by Laurell K. Hamilton

“Mistral’s Kiss” is a slim volume in the Meredith Gentry series, and feels like a novella instead of a novel. More a collection of scenes than a flowing story, the book finally gets Merry and her men out of the sithen, where they have spent the last two books. But that move comes at the very end of the book, and before then we are given quite a few sex scenes, the first starting a mere 25 pages in.

Yet again I’m having trouble figuring out what to say about “Mistral’s Kiss.” I finished it two days ago, and that to me is the best indicator that it’s pretty mediocre. There just isn’t a lot of plot; instead it’s as if the author got tired of mucking around inside of faerie, so she put some scenes together, had some more magic happen, and gets set up for the next book in the series. The time mechanic introduced in the last book, where time passes slower or faster in the sithen as Merry wishes comes into effect again here, as when the gang leaves the Unseelie sithen, they have missed the visit to the Seelie and goblin courts that have been mentioned in the last two books. I’m just left feeling disappointed after finishing “Mistral’s Kiss.”

1/5.

Book 38: Meredith Gentry 4: A Stroke of Midnight

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A Stroke of MidnightMeredith Gentry #4: A Stroke of Midnight, by Laurell K. Hamilton

I just finished “A Stroke of Midnight,” the fourth book in the Merry Gentry series. I’m still not sure what I read. I feel like I need a roadmap with step-by-step directions to keep up with all the new sidhe figures introduced, and their “adventures” with Merry.

There’s an attempt at a plot in this novel, when a fey and a human reporter are found murdered in the sithen after a press conference. Merry persuades the queen to allow her to bring human police into the sithen, in an attempt to collect forensic evidence and also to preserve human-fey relations. Unfortunately the mystery of how an immortal fey was killed is quickly shunted aside in favor of sex, and a lot of it.

In the previous novel in the series, Hamilton gave Merry a new ability – restoring sidhe to their “godheads,” or returning powers they had lost centuries ago, through sex. This specific ability gives Hamilton a lot of opportunities to include, and even make, sex necessary. But there’s a point when too much is just TOO much. Personally, I continue to read the Merry series because I like the world the author created – I very much enjoy her re-imagining of faerie, of the light and dark courts, and of the sidhe, the arrogant and proud nobles and their culture. I don’t read it to see Merry having sex scene after sex scene.

I have another problem with this book. The paperback version is 385 pages. The events of the novel cover a period of ONE day. At this rate, Merry’s visit to the faerie courts is going to take 3+ novels to tell.

I keep reading this series because I like the idea it started with – a modern-day faerie princess trying to take the throne and save her people. Even the requirement that she be pregnant before gaining the throne made sense – but I don’t think that made it necessary for Merry to be in any one and everyone’s bed, especially when in previous novels she was very concerned with who her king would be.

2/5.