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Welcome
to Stacking
the Shelves,
where I get to show off the books I’ve gotten recently. I forgot to post a
book haul last month, so oops. I have tons of new books to show you. I’ve even
read a few of them. Way to go, me. I’ll post reviews of the ones I’ve read.
🌊 May 2021 Book Haul 🌄
At The Wolf’s
Table by Rosella Postorino
Adult Historical Fiction
Germany,
1943: Twenty-six-year-old Rosa Sauer's parents are gone, and her husband Gregor
is far away, fighting on the front lines of WWII. Impoverished and alone, she
makes the fateful decision to leave war-torn Berlin to live with her in-laws in
the countryside, thinking she'll find refuge there. But one morning, the SS
come to tell her she has been conscripted to be one of Hitler's tasters: three
times a day, she and nine other women go to his secret headquarters, the Wolf's
Lair, to eat his meals before he does. Forced to eat what might kill them, the
tasters begin to divide into The Fanatics, those loyal to Hitler, and the women
like Rosa who insist they aren't Nazis, even as they risk their lives every day
for Hitler's.
As secrets and resentments grow, this unlikely
sisterhood reaches its own dramatic climax. What's more, one of Rosa's SS
guards has become dangerously familiar, and the war is worsening outside. As
the months pass, it becomes increasingly clear that Rosa and everyone she knows
are on the wrong side of history.
My review: I read the majority of this book before
setting it aside for now. It wasn’t holding my attention. The plot is nonexistent,
and the characters are kind of bland. I’m very interested in the topic, though,
so I might return to it later.
The Unthinkable:
Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—And Why by Amanda Ripley
Survival / Psychology Nonfiction
Amanda
Ripley, an award-winning journalist for Time magazine who has
covered some of the most devastating disasters of our age, set out to discover
what lies beyond fear and speculation. In this magnificent work of
investigative journalism, Ripley retraces the human response to some of
history’s epic disasters, from the explosion of the Mont Blanc munitions ship
in 1917–one of the biggest explosions before the invention of the atomic
bomb–to a plane crash in England in 1985 that mystified investigators for
years, to the journeys of the 15,000 people who found their way out of the
World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Then, to understand the science
behind the stories, Ripley turns to leading brain scientists, trauma
psychologists, and other disaster experts, formal and informal, from a
Holocaust survivor who studies heroism to a master gunfighter who learned to
overcome the effects of extreme fear.
Why I’m excited to read it: I’m fascinated by survival stories. Why do some
people survive dangerous situations while others die quickly? Is it just luck,
or can you do something to increase your chances of survival? I’m hoping this
book will teach me how to be resilient in dangerous times.
A Game Of Fox
& Squirrels by Jenn Reese
Middlegrade Fantasy
After
an incident shatters their family, eleven-year old Samantha and her older
sister Caitlin are sent to live in rural Oregon with an aunt they've never met.
Sam wants nothing more than to go back to the way things were . . . before she
spoke up about their father's anger.
When Aunt Vicky gives Sam a mysterious card game
called "A Game of Fox & Squirrels," Sam falls in love with the
animal characters, especially the charming trickster fox, Ashander. Then one
day Ashander shows up in Sam’s room and offers her an adventure and a promise:
find the Golden Acorn, and Sam can have anything she desires.
But the fox is hiding rules that Sam isn't
prepared for, and her new home feels more tempting than she'd ever expected. As
Sam is swept up in the dangerous quest, the line between magic and reality
grows thin. If she makes the wrong move, she'll lose far more than just a game.
Why I’m excited to read it: Goodreads says this
book “explores the often thin line between magic and reality, light and
darkness.” It sounds like this novel has the potential to be delightfully
weird. I’m game. Let’s play.
The True
Believer: Thoughts On The Nature Of Mass Movements by Eric Hoffer
Sociology / Philosophy Nonfiction
A
stevedore on the San Francisco docks in the 1940s, Eric Hoffer wrote
philosophical treatises in his spare time while living in the railroad yards. The True Believer—the first and most
famous of his books—was made into a bestseller when President Eisenhower cited
it during one of the earliest television press conferences. Completely relevant
and essential for understanding the world today, The True Believer is a visionary, highly provocative look into the
mind of the fanatic and a penetrating study of how an individual becomes one.
Why I’m excited to read it: It’s a classic that’s been recommended to me
for years. I finally got a copy! I’m interested in cults and how people become fanatical
about religious or political beliefs. I swear I have no plans to start a cult.
Nobody’s got time for that. I’m just curious.
Howl’s Moving
Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Middlegrade Fantasy
Sophie
has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to
fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she
unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself
under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at
breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's
castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl,
strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on.
Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than
first meets the eye.
Why I’m excited to read it: Another classic. I often stumble across this
novel on lists of must-read children’s books. I’ve somehow gone my entire life
without reading it. I guess it’s time to see what the hype is about. Why does
everybody love it so much?
The Toll by Neal Shusterman
Young Adult Science Fiction
It’s
been three years since Rowan and Citra disappeared; since Scythe Goddard came
into power; since the Thunderhead closed itself off to everyone but Grayson
Tolliver.
In this pulse-pounding conclusion to New
York Times bestselling author Neal Shusterman’s Arc of a Scythe
trilogy, constitutions are tested and old friends are brought back from the
dead.
Why I’m excited to read it: This series is so good! If you like dystopias,
you need to read it. It’s fast-paced, thought-provoking, and completely
unpredictable. The Toll is the final
book in the series. I can’t wait to find out how it ends.
The Fountains
Of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
Young Adult Historical Fiction
Madrid,
1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is
hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into
Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is
eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in
Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's
birth through the lens of his camera. Photography—and fate—introduce him to
Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the
Spanish Civil War—as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's
photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He
is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives
and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish
city.
Why I’m excited to read it: I read a lot of historical fiction, and Ruta Sepetys is one of my all-time-favorite historical
fiction authors. She always manages to teach me things while telling an
entertaining story.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Young Adult Contemporary Novel-In-Verse
Jason
Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time
it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed
his brother.
My review: Allow
me to introduce you to my favorite book of 2021! It’s simple and stunningly
written. I think this novel-in-verse is destined to become a classic. The plot
of Long Way Down reminds me of A Christmas Carol, but it’s set in a modern, inner-city apartment
building. Most of the story takes place on an elevator. Yep, a 300-page
elevator ride. (I swear it’s not as boring as it sounds.) A teenager’s brother
is murdered, and the teen sets out to get revenge. When he steps into the
elevator in his apartment building, a ghost gets on with him. The elevator
stops at every floor, and a new ghost gets on at each stop. That’s when the Christmas Carol vibes start. The ghosts force the teen to
confront his choices and reevaluate his decision to commit murder. It’s a
thoroughly modern ghost story! And, best of all, it never gets preachy or
heavy-handed! The author treats his (deeply flawed) characters with compassion
and lets the readers draw their own conclusions. I have zero complaints about
this book. Please read it. It’s short and unique and definitely worth your time.
The Gustav
Sonata by Rose Tremain
Adult Historical Fiction
Gustav
Perle grows up in a small town in Switzerland, where the horrors of the Second
World War seem only a distant echo. An only child, he lives alone with Emilie,
the mother he adores but who treats him with bitter severity. He begins an
intense friendship with a Jewish boy his age, talented and mercurial Anton
Zweibel, a budding concert pianist. The novel follows Gustav’s family, tracing
the roots of his mother’s anti-Semitism and its impact on her son and his
beloved friend.
Why I’m excited to read it: I feel like I saw this book on every award
longlist back in 2017. All the historical fiction fans were reading it. Well,
all of them except me. I couldn’t find a cheap used copy, but I’ve got one now!
Rose Tremain has written a ton of books, so if I enjoy this one, I’ll have her
whole backlist to read.
Heartbreaker by Maryse Meijer
Adult Literary Short Story Collection
In
her debut story collection Heartbreaker, Maryse Meijer peels back
the crust of normalcy and convention, unmasking the fury and violence we are
willing to inflict in the name of love and loneliness. Her characters are a
strange ensemble—a feral child, a girl raised from the dead, a possible
pedophile—who share in vulnerability and heartache, but maintain an unremitting
will to survive. Meijer deals in desire and sex, femininity and masculinity,
family and girlhood, crafting a landscape of appetites threatening to
self-destruct.
Why I’m excited to read it: Well, the cover sure got my attention. That’s
intense. This short story collection has amazing reviews on Goodreads, which is
rare for a short story collection because people seem to hate them for
mysterious reasons. The stories in this book are allegedly dark and disturbing.
I’m intrigued.
I agree with your about A Long Way Down. Never preachy, which I always appreciate. It short but so powerful. I read the book, but I heard the audio is great.
ReplyDeleteI still need to read The Toll! The Unthinkable sounds fascinating - I love also survival/disaster stories!
ReplyDeleteI have read The Toll, Long Way Down, and Fountains of Silence and all were really good! I hope you enjoy them.
ReplyDeleteI hope you like Howl's Moving Castle, I read it for the first time as an adult too and I found it charming, def see what all the buzz is about
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy The Toll. That's such a great series.
ReplyDeleteI have not read any of these but I'm glad you told me about Ruta Sepetys as I read quite a bit of historical fiction too. Hers looks good.
ReplyDelete