Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly The Printed Page) where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday currently is on tour, and this month, it is being hosted by At Home With Books.
I didn’t receive a single book in the mail last week, which is fine by me. However, Jerry and I had some fun spending our Christmas money. I surprised him with the Nook Tablet he’d been coveting, and then I hit the book stores for my annual post-Christmas shopping spree. I now need another bookcase just for World War II books. These are the books that came home with me:
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin by Erik Larson (Amazon/IndieBound)
Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative nonfiction, and in his new book, the bestselling author of The Devil in the White City turns his hand to a remarkable story set during Hitler’s rise to power.
The time is 1933, the place, Berlin, when William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany in a year that proved to be a turning point in history.
A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, Dodd brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha. At first Martha is entranced by the parties and pomp, and the handsome young men of the Third Reich with their infectious enthusiasm for restoring Germany to a position of world prominence. Enamored of the “New Germany,” she has one affair after another, including with the surprisingly honorable first chief of the Gestapo, Rudolf Diels. But as evidence of Jewish persecution mounts, confirmed by chilling first-person testimony, her father telegraphs his concerns to a largely indifferent State Department back home. Dodd watches with alarm as Jews are attacked, the press is censored, and drafts of frightening new laws begin to circulate. As that first year unfolds and the shadows deepen, the Dodds experience days full of excitement, intrigue, romance — and ultimately horror, when a climactic spasm of violence and murder unmasks Hitler’s true character and ruthless ambition.
Suffused with the tense atmosphere of the period, and with unforgettable portraits of the bizarre Göring and the expectedly charming — yet wholly sinister — Goebbels, In the Garden of Beasts lends a stunning eyewitness perspective on events as they unfold in real time, revealing an era of surprising nuance and complexity. The result is a dazzling, addictively readable work that speaks volumes about why the world did not recognize the grave threat posed by Hitler until Berlin, and Europe, were awash in blood and terror. (publisher’s summary)
City of Thieves by David Benioff (Amazon/IndieBound)
From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival — and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.
Stumped by a magazine assignment to write about his own uneventful life, a man visits his retired grandparents in Florida to document their experience during the infamous siege of Leningrad. Reluctantly, his grandfather commences a story that will take him almost a week to tell: an odyssey of two young men determined to survive, against desperate odds, a mission in which cold, hunger, and the Russian authorities prove as dangerous as the invading Wehrmacht.
Two young men meeting for the first time in a jail cell await summary execution for crimes of dubious legitimacy. At seventeen, Lev Beniov considers himself “built for deprivation.” Small, smart, insecure about his virginity, he’s terrified about the sentence that awaits him and his cellmate, the charismatic and grandiose Kolya, a handsome young soldier charged with desertion. However, instead of a bullet in the back of the head, the pair is given an outrageous assignment: In a besieged city cut off from all supplies, secure a dozen eggs for a powerful colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake. Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt to find the impossible in five days’ time, a quest that propels them from the lawless streets of Leningrad to the devastated countryside behind German lines. As they encounter murderous city dwellers, guerrilla partisans, and finally the German army itself, an unlikely bond forms between this earnest teenager and his unpredictable companion, a lothario whose maddening, and endearing, bravura will either advance their cause or get them killed.
Hailed for his brilliantly drawn characters and incisive ability to capture the pulse of urban life, David Benioff rises to new heights in this portrait of two unforgettable young men and Soviet Russia under siege. By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, City of Thieves takes us on a breathtaking journey into the twentieth century’s darkest hour even as it celebrates the power of friendship to transform a life. (publisher’s summary)
The Piano Teacher by Janice Y. K. Lee (Amazon/IndieBound)
Sometimes the end of a love affair is only the beginning.
In 1942, Will Truesdale, an Englishman newly arrived in Hong Kong, falls headlong into a passionate relationship with Trudy Liang, a beautiful Eurasian socialite. But their love affair is soon threatened by the invasion of the Japanese, with terrible consequences for both of them and for members of their fragile community, who will betray one another in the darkest days of the war.
Ten years later, Claire Pendleton comes to Hong Kong and is hired by the wealthy Chen family as their daughter’s piano teacher. A provincial English newlywed, Claire is seduced by the colony’s heady social life. She soon begins an affair…only to discover that her lover’s enigmatic demeanor hides a devastating past.
As the threads of this spellbinding novel intertwine and converge, a landscape of impossible choices emerges — between love and safety, courage and survival, the present, and, above all, the past. (publisher’s summary)
The Missing by Beverly Lewis (Amazon/IndieBound)
This book doesn’t really fit with my WWII book-buying theme, but this is the sequel to a book I already own, so I just had to add it to my collection.
Grace Byler longs to uncover the secret that drove her mother to leave the family weeks ago. When all hopes are dashed for such a search, an unlikely friendship leads to a surprising invitation. Meanwhile, the young Amishman Grace thought was courting her best friend takes a sudden interest in her, and Grace’s decision to remain single is challenged even as her determination to find her mother grows. (publisher’s summary)
Hitler’s Niece by Ron Hansen (Amazon/IndieBound)
Hitler’s Niece tells the story of the intense and disturbing relationship between Adolf Hitler and the daughter of his only half-sister, Angela, a drama that evolves against the backdrop of Hitler’s rise to prominence and power from particularly inauspicious beginnings. The story follows Geli from her birth in Linz, Austria, through the years in Berchtesgaden and Munich, to her tragic death in 1932 in Hitler’s apartment in Munich. Through the eyes of a favorite niece who has been all but lost to history, we see the frightening rise in prestige and political power of a vain, vulgar, sinister man who thrived on cruelty and hate and would stop at nothing to keep the horror of his inner life hidden from the world. (publisher’s summary)
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies (Amazon/IndieBound)
Set in the stunning landscape of North Wales just after D-Day, Peter Ho Davies’s profoundly moving first novel traces the intersection of disparate lives in wartime. When a POW camp is established near her village, seventeen-year-old barmaid Esther Evans finds herself strangely drawn to the camp and its forlorn captives. She is exploring the camp boundary when the astonishing occurs: Karsten, a young German corporal, calls out to her from behind the fence. From that moment on, the two foster a secret relationship that will ultimately put them both at risk. Meanwhile, another foreigner, the German-Jewish interrogator Rotherham, travels to Wales to investigate Britain’s most notorious Nazi prisoner, Rudolf Hess. In this richly drawn and thought-provoking work, all will come to question where they belong and where their loyalties lie. (publisher’s summary)
Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen (Amazon/IndieBound)
Published to vast acclaim, this groundbreaking international bestseller lays to rest many myths about the Holocaust: that Germans were ignorant to the mass destruction of the Jews, that the killers were all SS men, and that those who slaughtered Jews did so reluctantly. Hitler’s Willing Executioners provides conclusive evidence that the extermination of European Jewry engaged the energies and enthusiasm of tens of thousands of ordinary Germans.
Daniel Jonah Goldhagen reconstructs the climate of “eliminationist antisemitism” that made Hitler’s pursuit of his genocidal goals possible and the radical persecution of the Jews during the 1930s popular. Drawing on a wealth of unused archival materials, principally the testimony of the killers themselves, he takes us into the killing fields where Germans voluntarily hunted Jews like animals, tortured them wantonly, and then posed cheerfully for snapshots with their victims. From mobile killing units, to the camps, to the death marches, Goldhagen shows how ordinary Germans, nurtured in a society where Jews were seen as unalterably evil and dangerous, willingly followed their beliefs to their logical conclusion. (publisher’s summary)
The Twentieth Train: The True Story of the Ambush of the Death Train to Auschwitz by Marion Schreiber (Amazon/IndieBound)
The spring of 1943 was a desperate season for the Jews of Brussels. The resistance movement had successfully bombed the SS headquarters that January, but anti-Jewish laws were tightening, and a camp had been set up in the nearby town of Mechelen (dubbed the “ante-chamber of death”) to transport Belgian Jews to Auschwitz. The time had come for action.
One day in April, resistance fighter Youra Livchitz, a young doctor, discovered the departure date of the next transport train. With only one weekend in which to organize a raid, Youra recruited two school friends, Jean Franklemon and Robert Maistriau, to pull off one of the most daring rescues of the entire war. Equipped with only three pairs of pliers, a hurricane lamp covered in red paper, and a single pistol, the men ambushed the train, which was transporting 1,618 Jews to Auschwitz.
These three lone men freed 17 men and women before the German guards opened fire. Miraculously, by the time the convoy had reached the German border another 225 prisoners had managed to escape unharmed and found shelter with the locals. In a testament to the solidarity of the Belgians, none of the escapees were betrayed. Yet the three young rescuers shared a different fate, ending for them in concentration camps and, for one, death.
Marion Schreiber’s gripping book about the only Nazi death train in World War II to be ambushed draws on private documents, photographs, archive material, and police reports, as well as original research, including interviews with the surviving escapees. Like Schindler’s List, The Twentieth Train creates a vivid, moving portrait of heroism under impossible circumstances. (publisher’s summary)
Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland by Christopher R. Browning (Amazon/IndieBound)
How a unit of average, middle-aged Germans became the cold-blooded murderers of tens of thousands of Jews (publisher’s summary)
What books did you add to your shelves recently?
Disclosure: I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
These look so awesome! I really love the cover on The Welsh Girl. Enjoy!!
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I agree that it’s a great cover! I was surprised to find so many books that have been on my to-read list for what seems like forever.
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The Benioff book was so amazing, I hope you will like it
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You were the one who introduced me to that book. Can’t wait to read it!
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I read The Piano Teachers a couple of years ago and liked it – a unique historical fiction novel. Hope you enjoy it.
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Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I’m looking forward to reading it.
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Book shopping is always a treat! These look really goo, especially, In the Garden of Beasts. (I enjoyed the Piano Teacher).
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Glad to hear you liked The Piano Teacher. I can’t wait to get to In the Garden of Beasts; I’ve seen some so-so reviews, but I also saw it on a few “best of” lists, so I really want to find out for myself. I really needed the retail therapy!
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I really want to read Ordinary Men. That is exactly the type of thing I love. I sure hope you have better luck with The Beast (what I am calling it now). It was such a big disappointment for me.
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I hope I have better luck with it, too. I’ve seen the so-so reviews, but the story is just so intriguing to me that I have to give it a try. Ordinary Men was a last-minute find at the used book store, and I couldn’t pass it up at just $4!
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I have to put a few of these on my tbr list.
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2012/01/mailbox-monday.html
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I hope you get a chance to read them!
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You have some fantastic looking reads here enjoy them all 🙂
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Thanks, Sheila! I intend to. 😉
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The WWII nonfiction books appeal especially to me. Very cool that you found so many neat books on your shopping spree!
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I was so surprised to have found them, especially since the first used book store we went to had very few WWII books.
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You got lot of books! Hitler’s Niece sounds interesting and I’ve never read anything about her. Enjoy!
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Thanks! I’ve put that book aside. I think I’m going to read it first out of all of these.
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Nice choices. I have In the Garden of Beasts on my wishlist but I’m trying to stick to what’s on my shelves… for a few months anyway.
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I know what you mean. I don’t usually shop for books like this, aside after Christmas and the occasional library sale throughout the year. It’s not like I need to add more books to my shelves. 😉
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So many of these book look and sound enticing. The Welsh Girl has been on my wish list for too long, Hitler’s Neice, too. And I hope to read City of Thieves and In the Garden of Beasts this year!
Enjoy your new books, Anna!
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I do hope you get a chance to read them. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
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wow, great books Anna, happy reading and Happy New Year 🙂 I have heard good things about Erik Larson and The Missing sounds very good.
p.s. I finally got my Discussion 4 post up for IT 🙂
I tried leaving a comment on your site but *sigh* I think wordpress ate it..lol
http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/2011/12/month-4-stephen-kings-it-read-long.html
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I’ve been having problems with spam lately, so chances are your comment got stuck in my spam folder and I missed it when I scanned through them. Sorry about that! Glad you’re still plugging along with It.
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Some very serious books with wonderful rich history! Happy Reading!
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Thanks, Peggy! Some days I think I should have majored in history when I was in college. 😉
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I loved City of Thieves…all the others look fantastic!
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So glad to hear that! It’s one of the books I plan to tackle first.
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They all look very interesting. I need to read more non-fiction so I might just find one of those listed here!
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I read a lot more WWII novels than non-fiction, and I’m trying to change that!
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Hitler’s Niece sounds interesting. I have never heard of her before. Book shopping is always fun and you found quite a few good looking books!
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I really enjoyed browsing with my husband. He actually found a few of these for me! I’ve heard about Hitler’s niece on the many documentaries I’ve seen, so I’m really curious about that novel.
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Never heard of any of them before so all the more reason to go look for them.
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I hope you give one or more of them a try!
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I have The Welsh Girl sitting on my shelf – for a couple years it’s sat there, looking at me….. I’m definitely getting to it in 2012!
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I hope so! I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.
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Enjoy all of your new books, Anna! Happy New Year, too!
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Thanks, Suko! Happy new year to you as well!
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Looks like you had fun shopping.
A belated Happy New Year Anna!
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I might have had too much fun. 😉 Happy new year to you, too!
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You bought some awesome books! We are considering City of Thieves for our next book club read. Hope they are all winners.
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I think that would make a great selection. Seems like there would be a lot to discuss!
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It must have been fun to go book shopping just for yourself…love it:)! I have not read any of these, Welsh Girl and The Piano Teacher caught my eye. Happy New Year Anna!
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Oh, yes, it was thrilling! I really needed the retail therapy! Happy new year to you as well!
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Sounds like you got some great books…and I cannot wait to see what you think of them.
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I hope they’re all as good as they look and sound.
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There are a few there that sound like I may enjoy them too. I look forward to your reviews. Enjoy your books!
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Thanks, Teddy!
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Some good titles you have there. I’ve read City of Thieves and really enjoyed it, well written book and a great story. Enjoy.
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Glad to hear you really liked it. Can’t wait to get to it myself!
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Book shopping sprees are the best!!! You do need a WWII bookshelf!
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Right now I have 2 designated shelves and they are crammed. And then I have another pile next to my desk. So yes another bookcase would be lovely! 🙂
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I love to go book shopping. Enjoy all your new books.
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Thanks, Carol! Book shopping is both relaxing and exciting!
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The Welsh Girl was a very interesting read and The Piano Teacher was quite good too. Enjoy your books!
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Glad to hear you enjoyed them both!
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