Surviving the Angel of Death...

I am not a big reader of non-fiction-I admit it!  Ironic considering that I am a history teacher and my knowledge depends on non-fiction, the world of primary and secondary sources.  I made a commitment to myself to read at least one non-fiction book a month.  I squeaked by this month by choosing to read: Surviving the Angel of Death by Eva Mozes Kor and Lisa Rojany Buccieri.  It is Eva Kor’s story of her life as a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz.  It is a story of survival, of the lengths that a child will go to to ensure not only her survival but her twin’s too.  The book is the YA adapted edition of Echoes from Auschwitz: Dr. Mengele's Twins: The Story of Eva & Miriam Mozes. 

I like non-fiction that reads with the flow of fiction.  I don’t like the choppy feel of a lot of non-fiction writing.  Angel of Death reads like a story.  It is smooth and flows well and kept me engaged while reading.  I liked it enough to want to read more books by the same author.  And that is saying a lot when it isn’t fiction!

Merciless

I am addicted to Diana Palmer!  I fully and unabashedly admit it. She is one of the reasons that I don't just read books,  I gobble them up. I have been following her Long Tall Texans series since the first book, Calhoun, came out in 1988. And slowly and steadily built my collection to the point that I have a copy of just about everything she has written, including her upcoming release Merciless. The story's central characters are Jon Blackhawk and Joceline Perry. It is their story, and yet old familiar characters are present and accounted for: Kilraven and Winnie, Detective Rick Marquez, the ever mysterious Rourke, and Jon's fiercely protective and unashamedly interfering mother, Cammy. There is of course intrigue and tragedy and interesting plot twists. Wait until you see what Jon did! And that Jon doesn't even know or suspect!
I love these characters. They have become like dear friends. I want to know how they have been in the time that they have been "away." I think one of the signs of a great author isn't how many books they have sold, but how many people want to revisit the characters over and over again.
The other thing I like about Palmer books...I get a history fix!  Palmer is a history enthusiast and adds tidbits of history to her stories by giving her characters a love and knowledge of everything from western to Scottish to military history.
To spill a secret...Palmer is a big part of the reason that I wanted to move to Texas. Yes, most of her stories are set in Jacobsville (which is conveniently fictitious and centrally located between Houston, San Antonio and Victoria) but I felt like it wasn't all that strange of a place, and maybe a bit like I belonged

Cinder and Ella

What do you get when you have a spoiled, narcissistic twit of a teen, an enabled brat, a hard-working giver, a “lost” middle child, a brave knight, a kind king and a wicked prince?   A really great story of coming of age and discovering personal strength, as well as a great re-write of a classic fairy tale.

Melissa Lemon’s version of the fairy tale is a refreshing change; that has you cheering for the “lost”, wanting to smack the oldest sister in every scene and imagining ways to torment the prince.