Review: Mala’s Cat by Mala Kacenberg

In some ways, every Holocaust story is like every other: the horrors endured, the unbelievable cruelty, watching family members die, and having to make unimaginable decisions to survive. But in other ways, every Holocaust story is unique, as is this one. Born in 1927 in Tarnograd, Poland, Mala had a happy childhood until 1939, when…

Review: When Time Stopped by Ariana Neumann

The first time I heard about this book, I was struck by how much it sounded like my own family.  Neumann grew up in Venezuela, but her father was born in Czechoslovakia.  He survived the Holocaust but never talked about it, and she grew up not knowing any of his family, except for her father’s…

Review: The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman

If you’re looking for a book that explores the horrors of the Holocaust but does so in a really beautiful way, I recommend this book. It begins in Berlin, where a mother, Hanna, is trying desperately to save her daughter Lea.  She learns that there is a rabbi in town who knows how to create a…

Mini-Reviews: Lethal White, In the Distance, I Am I Am I am, We Were the Lucky Ones

I didn’t have a chance to review any of the books I read in December because I was traveling, so I’m posting some mini-reviews of the more interesting books I read during my trip: Lethal White by Robert Galbraith: I will only say here that I was disappointed with this entry in the series, which…

My July Reading Wrap-Up

This month I torpedoed my 20 Books of Summer list by signing up for a pile of NetGalleys and ARCs.  I’m not saying I regret those reads, which were quite good; something just made me go “off-list” this month. Otherwise, my July was all about my sister – I got to visit her in Wisconsin…

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

I always love reading Newbery award winners, and Lois Lowry has written many great books for children, including The Giver. So this book has been on my TBR list for a while. Considering my family’s history, learning more about the Holocaust is important to me. So many books have been written on the subject, but…

Review of Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

Note: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the Disney Book Group.  The book will be released September 10, 2013. Rose Justice is a nineteen year old American pilot who is ferrying Allied fighter planes in Britain for the Air Transport Auxiliary Service.  Rose is young enough that, unlike her fellow…

Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I feel like the last person to read this book, so there isn’t too much I can add to the conversation.  This is a book that pops up on most bloggers’ “best book” list.  I worried that it wouldn’t live up to such high praise, but it absolutely does. I started this book twice and…

It’s Monday, What are You Reading?

“It’s Monday! What are you reading?” is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what you’ve read the past week and planning to read next. Happy Monday everyone! I for one am still recovering from our long and tortured trip back to the U.S.  Let’s just say our travel day lasted…

Notes from Eastern Europe

Greetings from Budapest! It’s hard to believe our two week vacation will be drawing to a close in a few days. It’s been an exhausting and enriching experience. We’ve explored three major European cities in the last nine days, each with its own language, history, and currency. My math skills have been sorely tested on…

A Book I Didn’t Finish: Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum

I felt a little bad putting this book down halfway through — it is, after all, a book about the Holocaust.  But I will just say this: even if a book is about the Holocaust, it still ought to be well-written. Those Who Save Us is about Anna and her daughter Trudie, and begins in…

Review: The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer

This book, which was included in the New York Times list of 100 Notable Books of 2010, is Julie Orringer’s first novel, and as she describes in the credits, it is written as a tribute to her grandparents and great uncle and aunt.  This book is a sweeping story that covers World War II from…