War and Peace

I have read a few books about World Wars I and II lately, so I thought I'd put them all together in one big review. Enjoy!

Gifts of War, Mackenzie Ford
This book begins with the Christmas truce of 1914. A German officer and a British officer exchange gifts, and the German officer reveals that he has a girlfriend who he left behind in Britain. He asks the British officer to find her and let her know he's alive. When the British officer finds her, he falls in love and so begins his deception. The plot alone is interesting, but I enjoyed the look at British life during the war and the insight into how the Brits related to the Germans. There are also subplots into the birth of modern psychology and medicine. It's an excellent and nuanced read.

The Bronze Horseman, Paullina Simmons
This is the tale of an unlikely romance in Leningrad during World War II. Tatiana, a young Russian girl, meets Alexander, a soldier in the Red Army, and they fall in love immediately. Their relationship is complicated by Tatiana's family, Alexander's secrets, and the world crumbling around them. I haven't read much about the siege of Leningrad and I learned a lot. Tatiana and Alexander are well written; at times I would be annoyed with them because they were so human and had faults. The Bronze Horseman is a long book that wraps you in its world and releases you only reluctantly at its close.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
This was the first book chosen for my new book club and it was a great choice. The book is told all in letters written between the characters, a device I enjoyed as a child in Daddy Long Legs and more recently in Ella Minnow Pea. The novel is set on the island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands between Britain and France which was occupied by the Germans for five years. The Literary Society begins as an excuse for breaking curfew but grows to become an important part of the social fabric of the island, bringing together residents who would otherwise never have been friends. Although the book as a whole is upbeat, it does have sadder plots woven in. Erin is borrowing it next but feel free to get in line!

Our Little Gimp

A few months ago we noticed that Max would occasionally pull up his right hind leg and he began to favor it more and more. We took him to the doctor and it turns out he needed surgery. He had the operation yesterday and came home today. He is definitely tired but he is doing ok and actually was able to hop around more than expected. The biggest challenge is going to be keeping him from running around for the next six weeks. Get well soon Max!

Fair Weather Fans

One of my pet peeves is the fair weather fan. This person ignores a team all season long until they are close to a record, or a championship, then runs out to buy a jersey and tell everyone how his cousin's hairdresser's husband knew that one player in high school and beat him in mini golf.

I'm not the only one who feels this way; Penn State has had lackluster student attendance at football games this year. It's easy to see why (Akron, Temple, Syracuse, and Eastern Illinois all started at noon) but some people think that's no excuse. I was lucky enough to have season tickets for all four of my years at PSU and took advantage of them, even though I had to walk 10 miles in the snow uphill both ways and stand on flaming coals to watch the team have 3 losing seasons in 4 years.*

Which is why I am just that much more embarrassed to admit what I have been doing most nights for the past week: watching the Phillies in the World Series. I can count how many regular season games I watched on one hand and now I'm glued to the tv. But hey, it's my inalienable right as an American to be a hypocrite. So let's go Phils!




*Only one of those qualifiers is true; I'll let you guess which.

I'm a Wifey!

I owe you all quite a few posts about my wedding, honeymoon, and the many many books I read therein, but for now I will just give you the beautiful pictures the photographer took. Sorry to those who have already seen them!

Amazing Pictures

Getting Hitched!

The Dude and I leave tomorrow morning for Philadelphia. We're getting married on Friday then heading South for a week of sandy beaches and frozen drinks. I'll leave you with this picture of Max enjoying a new toy. I hope everyone has a great couple of weeks!

8 days to go!

From Jen's blog.

watching...Flash Forward

smelling...the reed diffuser sitting on the console table

reading...the blurbs about the 13 books (10 library, 3 purchased) that I got for the wedding/honeymoon so that I can decide which ones to read when.

enjoying...the knowledge that after 1 more day of work, I have more than 2 weeks off!

listening...to the laundry machine cleaning the clothes for my trip!

knowing...that in 8 days I am going to have a fabulous day with the ones I love

drinking...Diet Pepsi so I can stay awake

embracing...the excitement in my life! (and Max, naturally)

More Fall Fun

Since this is our last full week at home before the wedding I wanted to get the Halloween decorations up. I'm excited to have a real house to decorate and I'm hoping that we will get lots of trick-or-treaters! I think the decorations look pretty good but I admit I'm biased.

I named the monster on the left Gus.