On National Book Lovers Day, I listened to a great podcast - Stephanie Affinito's Get Lit(erate) - where she discussed her favorite books about books. She gave a fantastic list and then asked us for other books about books she may enjoy. Of course, I had a few to add, but also, of course, because of my #researchjunkie attitude, I began looking for more. That's when I found Weird Things Customers Say in Bookstores by Jennifer Campbell.
I LOVED this book and laughed out loud throughout this easy read. The book mainly contains things overheard in two UK bookstores, though there is a section that has snippets from others who sent in what their customers had to say. Because it was UK, a couple of references flew over my head, but overall,, I loved everything about this book. My only gripe? It was not nearly long enough! I could have read 4x that much. Of course, I always get a giggle listening to what others say and enjoy it when people:
Customer: Do you have any pop up books on sex education?
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The Girl in the Striped Dress by Ellie Midwood was amazing! It is "another Auschwitz" book without being just another Auschwitz book! This is a dual timeline - during WWII and after the war during the Nazi war crime trials. It is based on a true story in which Helena, an inmate, survives the camp and marries one of the SS men - Franz Dahler - in what appears to be the first documented case of Stockholm Syndrome but before it had a name.
What did I love about this story:
You know I love a book with great characters, and Midwood delivered. We see the development of Helena as she arrives in Auschwitz, gets the Kanada detail, struggles to survive, and eventually falls in love with her captor. Because of Midwood's writing style, readers immediately connect with Helena and want to see her live a happily ever after. But it isn't until the very end that you will decide if that ending should be with Franz or not. And which way you decide will be completely up to you! I highly recommend this book for lover's of historical fiction, those who want to see another side of WWII concentration camps, and readers who enjoy a nontraditional love story. Let me know what you think! I woke up one morning about a month ago to find that An Enemy Like Me was listed as "temporarily out of stock" on Amazon. Of course, I immediately contacted my publisher. Unfortunately, not only could they do nothing, but the situation grew worse.
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AuthorTeri M Brown, author of An Enemy Like Me and Sunflowers Beneath the Snow connects readers with characters they'd love to invite to lunch. Follow the Blog Using the RSS Feed link below:
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