First of all, if you haven't read
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, I highly highly recommend it. It's non-fiction, a genre of which I'm not usually a great consumer, BUT. This one is a game-changer for me, non-fictionally speaking. First of all, it's a story, not just a retelling of history. And second of all, its subject of focus is one that I didn't know very much about, in spite of knowing and always hearing much about the surrounding history. It's a World War II story, but not about Europe, and not about the Holocaust. It's about the Pacific war waged between the United States and Japan, and specifically about the experience of Ally POWs held captive in Japan. The people come to life, and their stories feel like your grandfather's stories - you just feel so connected to them that it feels like you know them like family. At least, that's how I felt. Most importantly, though, it's just a completely compelling conveyance of a dark period in world history, with a beautiful spirit of humanity to bring it out of the bleakness. I could not put it down.
And then I finished, and I was sad that I was done. So I've picked up another book off my to-read shelf, and while I can anticipate that coming off such a good read, it will be difficult to get into another book quickly, this book has promise... I'm currently reading
The Pleasing Hour by Lily King. I don't know where I got it, but it has a range of decent-to-good reviews on Goodreads, and it was honored as a
New York Times Notable Book of the Year (1999). So, off I go. What are you reading?
I also loved that Unbroken was of a familiar time period but from a different focus. I had only read one or two other books from the Pacific view point of WWII and found this one so interesting and different. I just loved it. I needed a brain rest after it so I am reading Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. It is pretty good. Totally and completely different. A brain rester.
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