Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Forgiveness (Lauren Hillenbrand)
Amazing! This book kept me up nights both reading and imagining. Both the research and the storytelling are impeccable.
Code Name Verity (Elizabeth Wein)
Another WWII story, this one set in Europe, but YA. I hate to say “another” though, because this book is a stand-alone thriller that has me rethinking my life goals. (Don’t worry, I’m not planning on becoming a WWII pilot.)
The Mermaids of Bodega Bay (Mary Birk)
This mystery/thriller unfolds from many points of view. Birk manages to portray many characters with a few strokes, and though I hadn’t met these people before, I felt like I knew them. She had me fooled almost till the end (which is rare).
Shadows (Robin McKinley)
I was a little disappointed in this new book from one of my favorite authors, who is a master world-builder. The world never fully had me.
Expedition to the Pole (Annie Dillard)
This is my all-time favorite essay (I have it in Teaching a Stone to Talk and in The Annie Dillard Reader.) I revisit it periodically, and it never ceases to speak to me. This read-though has me thinking about the hindrances I hold dear, and what they cost me.
Ever After (Elswyth Thane)
Set at the turn of the 19th->20th centuries and in the Spanish-American War, this book has it all: history, love, adventure… The third in the Williamsburg series.
The Foundling (Georgette Heyer)
This is a Regency romp, similar to her Charity Girl, which I find funnier.
Clouds of Witness (Lord Peter Wimsey 1), Whose Body? (Lord Peter Wimsey 2), and Strong Poison (Lord Peter Wimsey 6) (my continuing Dorothy Sayers jag)
Reading these is like watching someone learn to paint– not their first strokes, but watching them find their style. Like the Van Gogh exhibit at the DAM last year: you followed along, painting by painting, as he became who we think of as Van Gogh. I’m not saying our image of him is who he really was, but it’s who he wanted us to see. Sayers makes a similar transformation in these books.
What are you reading?
For more Twitterature, check out Anne.
Learning As We Go 
So when you do these, are they just the YA books you’re reviewing? Or everything you’re reading? Just your favs…?
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Just what I read this month. Or I guess, last month.
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I am going to add Unbroken to my to-read list; and I think I’m going to have to find some Lord Peter Wimsey novels. Dorothy Sayers is hard to find in the library! When we went to London two years ago, I made a point to find a copy of Gaudy Night there so I could bring it home. I had read (and loved) it in college many years ago, and couldn’t find a copy in the States! Thanks for sharing.
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Meg, Gaudy Night is by far my favorite. I found 5 Red Herrings first and didn’t love Sayers, but then I stumbled across Gaudy Night and couldn’t believe I’d missed Sayers all these years!
Thanks for stopping by.
Annie
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