IN THE GARDEN OF BEASTS

Our book club selection for August is In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson.  We will meet on Tuesday, August 20 at 10:30 a.m.

In the Garden of Beasts is set during Hitler's rise to power, when William E. Dodd becomes America's first ambassador to Hitler's Germany.  This work sheds some light as to why the world did not recognize the threat posed by Hitler prior to going to war.

Erik Larson is also the author of other nonfiction works such as:

Thunderstruck

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic & Madness at the Fair that Changed America

Isaac's Storm: a Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History

If you enjoy Erik Larson's nonfiction, then you may like the titles listed below as well.

To End All Wars: a Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild
1861: The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart
Lost in Shangri-La: a True Story of Survival, Adventure, and the Most Incredible Rescue Mission of World War II  by Mitchell Zuckoff
The President and the Assassin: McKinley, Terror, and the Empire at the Dawn of the American Century by Scott Miller
Death in the City of Light: the Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris by David King
Americans in Paris: Life and Death Under Nazi Occupation by Charles Glass
Hitlerland: American Eyewitnesses to the Nazis Rise to Power by Andrew Nagorski
Destiny of the Republic: a Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard
Resisting Hitler:  Mildred Harnack and the Red Orchestra by Shareen Blair Brysac
The Coming of the Third Reich by Richard J. Evans

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: MARISSA MEYER

You may remember a previous blog post that focused on Cinderella spinoffs (http://efplblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/cinderella-spinoff.html) which I had posted after reading Cinder by Marissa Meyer.  And, I have now finished the sequel, Scarlet which is inspired by Little Red Riding Hood.


I absolutely loved Scarlet, and I cannot recommend this series enough!  If you like action, adventure, fairy tales, and/or dystopian futures, then you will enjoy these books.  Scarlet picks up right where Cinder left off.  Scarlet Benoit and Wolf, a street fighter, set out to search for Scarlet's missing grandmother.  Along the way, they join forces with Cinder as they try to stay one step ahead of Queen Levana.


For more information on Marissa Meyer and/or her books, take a look at her website: http://www.marissameyer.com/


The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer:
Cinder - Inspired by Cinderella
Scarlet - Inspired by Little Red Riding Hood
Cress (2014) - Inspired by Rapunzel
Winter (2015) - Inspired by Snow White


If you've already read Cinder, and are looking for more Cinderella stories, check out one of these:
Ash by Malinda Lo
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George


If you want more Little Red Riding Hood books, try one of these titles:
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Scarlet Moon by Debbie Viguie


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THE NATURAL

Growing up, The Natural was one of my favorite movies.  I had seen it many times, but I never knew it was a book until I was in college.  Of course, I wanted to read it, so I found a copy at the library.  You can imagine my surprise at finding out that the book and the movie are really quite different!  

The Natural tells the story of Roy Hobbs as he attempts to become the best there ever was.  It is a story of pride, second chances, and baseball.

Come to Creekside Place on Thursday, July 25 at 6:00 to watch the movie and to have a discussion about both the book and the movie.

Other works by Bernard Malamud:
The Assistant
The Fixer
God's Grace
Idiots First
The Magic Barrel
The Tenants
The Complete Stories

Books similar to The Natural:
Baseball's Best Short Stories edited by Paul D. Staudohar
Blockade Billy by Stephen King
Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
Slider by Patrick Robinson
Dirty Water by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith

Other Baseball Movies:
Field of Dreams
For Love of the Game
Moneyball
Bull Durham
Bad News Bears
Mr. 3000
A League of Their Own

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AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: JESSICA SHIRVINGTON

I recently finished reading Entice by Jessica Shirvington, Book 2 in the Embrace Series (also known as the Violet Eden Chapters).  I love this series and cannot wait to see what happens next!

Violet Eden is a Grigori, part angel and part human.  Upon discovering that she is Grigori, Violet becomes a part of the ancient battle between dark and light.  These books are full of angels, action, travel, and romance.

Jessica Shrivington is the author of the Violet Eden Chapters.  For more information on Jessica and her books you can visit http://www.jessicashirvington.com/





The Violet Eden Chapters:
Embrace
Entice
Emblaze
Endless (coming in October)




Want more?  Here are some stand alone read alikes:
The Space Between by Brenna Yovanoff
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
Shadows in the Silence by Courtney Allison Moulton
Angel Fire by Lee Weatherly

Looking for more angel related series?  Check out the ones listed below.

Unearthly Series by Cynthia Hand
Unearthly
Hallowed
Boundless

Daughter of Smoke and Bone Series by Laini Taylor
Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Days of Blood and Starlight

Hush, Hush Series by Becca Fitzpatrick
Hush, Hush
Crescendo
Silence
Finale

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4TH OF JULY

 

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress which set the 13 colonies on the path to freedom as their own nation.  The 4th has become a day to celebrate America as well as a day to spend with family and friends.

If you are interested in learning more about Independence Day, take a look at this website:
http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Independence-Day.shtml

Looking for some 4th of July related reads?  Check out some of the titles listed below.

Adult Fiction and Nonfiction:
4th of July by James Patterson
Independence Day by Richard Ford
Exit Wounds by J.A. Jance
The Founding Fathers' Guide to the Constitution by Brion McClanahan
Something That Will Surprise the World: the Essential Writings of the Founding Fathers edited by Susan Dunn
The Hornet's Nest: a Novel of the Revolutionary War by Jimmy Carter
New York by Edward Rutherfurd
American Revolution by Gordon Wood
Liberty Falling by Nevada Barr
1776 by David G. McCullough

YA and Children's Books:
Fourth of July Bear by Kathryn Lasky
George Washington, Spymaster: How America Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen
Let's Go Dear Dragon by Margaret Hillert
Changes for Caroline by Kathleen Ernst
Revolutionary War on Wednesday by Mary Pope Osborne
American Revolution by Mary Pope Osborne
The Journal of William Thomas Emerson: A Revolutionary War Patriot by Barry Denenberg
The Winter of Red Snow by Kristiana Gregory
Storyteller by Patricia Reilly Giff
Betsy Ross: the American Flag and Life in a Young America by Ryan Randolph
Hannah of Fairfield by Jean Van Leeuwen
Changes for Felicity by Valerie Tripp
The Declaration of Independence by Alan Pierce
Judy Moody Declares Independence by Megan McDonald

Movies:
Independence Day
John Adams
George Washington: the Man Who Wouldn't Be King
1776


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