gerikatz

This was not a great masterpiece of literature, but a compelling and at times exciting story of women of the French resistance. If you power through the first 150-200 pages, the second half is worth it.
(I would give the second half of the book a 4, but the first half a 3. If I could give it a 3.5 I would, but I had to round down due to the silly romance novel aspects of the first half.)

It took me a few years to get past my usual aversion to war memoirs, but I'm glad I finally read Unbroken. It reads like a novel, gripping, scary (sharks OMG) and moving. Historically, it filled in a lot of the blanks in my knowledge about Japanese POW camps; I had always gathered that they were bad, bid never knew the extent of the horror those POWs lived through. The story is beyond inspiring.

I love the true story of the Radium Girls and their fight for workplace safety as they sped toward death from radiation poisoning. This fictional telling of the story was compelling and kept me wishing this book had been around when I was a YA.

A sweet book, not great literature but a nice story for a vacation read. I could have done without the romanticization of the Nazi soldier with a heart of gold. If you're not part of the resistance to fascism, you are part of fascism. There were no good Nazis.

Meteorology isn't terribly exciting to me, so large portions of the first half of the book were a bit dry. But the second half was some of the most exciting non-fiction writing I've ever read.

Pleasant enough, compelling vacation read.

As a memoir, this was a touching and well-written book. As socio-economic commentary, it completely lacks an economic lens and barely touches on the role race plays in a person's ability to achieve the American Dream.

I wanted to love this book as much as I did Erik Larson's others. But I found it harder to get through, with only the last quarter really capturing my interest. I had hoped he would offer some conclusions about the controversy around the sinking of the Lusitania (did the British intentionally leave the ship unprotected so it would get torpedoed, bringing the US into the war? What caused the second explosion?) but I don't feel like I know any more than I did before reading this book.

Beautifully written, with some really striking passages, but the “mystery” plot was predictable.

I enjoyed the local Jewish history and recognized a few names of people and places I knew. I learned a few things I didn't already know (Kid Cann was partially responsible for the tragic scrapping of the Twin Cities streetcar system!) The writing wasn't inspiring. At times it was repetitive and didn't tell a story so much as it listed anecdotes and names. It's a quick read, so if you're really interested in Minneapolis Jewish gangster history, go for it.

I really didn't like this book. The writing was cliched and lazy, and the stories felt exploitative of the women she met in prison. Worse, I listened to the audiobook, which I can't anti-recommend enough. The reader chose to use exaggerated accents for everyone but the narrator, which gave the reading a semi-racist tone.

Devastatingly beautiful. I wish I could read it again for the first time.

I loved everything about this book. I felt an affinity for the writer, being roughly the same age and coming from a German Jewish background, so I eagerly gobbled up both the research she conducted, and her tale of the way the research affected her personally.

I have mixed feelings. The witch-in-love-with-a-vampire part was stupid, but the main character's occupation as an early modern European historian kept it from being totally worthless fluff. I enjoyed the parts about historical research much more than the ridiculous love story. I would read the sequel if I found it at the library or from a friend, but I wouldn't pay $15 for it.

Reads like a term paper, but very interesting personal accounts of practicing nursing in Vietnam, and life after Vietnam.

Great read for fans of early modern European history, history of science or medical research. The murder mystery aspect is a little overstated in the title - I suspect some editor thought it would sell more books. Yes, the book does solve a 350 year old murder mystery, but that takes all of about 10 pages. Dog lovers beware: most of the experiments described in the book were performed on dogs, most of whom did not survive.

A sweet and sentimental story. It's not Nobel Prize material, but sometimes a simple love story is good enough. I'd suggest a box of tissues when you get to the last quarter of the book.

Thought provoking, entertaining, and well-developed characters. Not a great literary masterpiece, but very enjoyable.

As with all of Larson's books, I found the subject matter so fascinating, I couldn't believe I didn't know this story already. Even the footnotes are worth reading.

Lots of head-chopping, lusting and scheming.

A quick and eye-opening read. The chapter about how positive thinking (ie, delusions of grandeur and an inability to do math) caused the financial meltdown is especially worth reading.

Essential reading for anyone who loves Duluth, the North Shore, or shipwrecks. Interesting and disappointing to learn the real reason for the construction of Split Rock Lighthouse. (Think corporate greed, not saving lives.)

Very moving and eye-opening.

It still holds up.

Both of my kids loved this sweet counting book.