SqueakyChu Soars to New Reading Heights - 2nd Quarter

Well, I guess I'm not really soaring to new reading heights this year, but I'll keep plodding along. How is your reading going so far? Come along for the ride, won't you?

My Book Counter:



My Page Counter:



My 2017 Calendar:



GOAL: To have less than 506 books in my "To read" collection at the end of 2017.
CONFESSION: My current number of "To read" books as of 04/10/17 is 508.

I'm still keeping things fairly simple this year. Heh!

APRIL:


Photo by Jayson - Flickr, CCA

BOOKISH PLANS:
1. The International Day of the Book Street Festival on Sunday, April 23, 2107, in Kensington, Maryland, USA. It was a grand success. We gave away over 1,300 FREE books!

COMPLETED:
9. The English Teacher - Yiftach Reicher Atir - TIOLI: Read a book whose title has two words sharing one adjacent letter across those two words (E) - 260 pages
10. **At the Broken Places - Mary Collins, Donald Collins - TIOLI: In honor of the 4th month, read a book with a 4 word title - 194 pages
11. A House for Hermit Crab - Eric Carle - TIOLI: Read a book where a title word starts with the same letter as the author's name (first or last) (C) - 32 pages
12. The Frog Who Was Blue - Faiz Kermani - TIOLI: Read a book where a title word starts with the same letter as the author's name (first or last) - 31 pages
13. Shirobamba - Yasushi Inoue - TIOLI: Read a book with a title starting with the first letter of your LT username (S for SqueakyChu) - 200 pages

KEY:
* TIOLI shared read
**Early Reviewer

MAY:

Photo by mnchilemom - Flickr, CCA

BOOKISH PLANS:
1. The Gaithersburg Book Festival in Gaithersburg, Maryland, on Saturday, May 20, 2017, from 10am to 6pm. It was great fun!

COMPLETED:
14. All About Japan - Willamarie Moore - TIOLI: Read a book whose title refers to a place or location - 64 pages

KEY:
* TIOLI shared read
**Early Reviewer

JUNE:

Photo by Billy Bob Bain - Flickr, CCA

BOOKISH PLANS:
1. BookCrossing meetup in the DC area

COMPLETED:
15. Every Man Dies Alone/Alone in Berlin - Hans Fallada - TIOLI: Read a book where changing one letter in the title still makes the title make sense (Every Man Died Alone) - 513 pages
16. We All Scream: The Fall of the Gifford's Ice Cream Empire - Andrew Gifford - TIOLI: Read a book with a food *embedded* in the title (cream) - 285 pages

KEY:
* TIOLI shared read
**Early Reviewer

Happy new thread, Madeline. xx

>5 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul! :)

Happy New Thread, Madeline! Love your balloons. :)

>7 lyzard: Hi Liz! Thank you so much!

Oooh, lovely balloons!

Happy new thread, Madeline!

Happy new thread!

>9 PawsforThought: >10 jessibud2: >11 drneutron:

Hi Paws, Shelley and Jim! I hope I get more of a momentum for reading this quarter. Time will tell. :)

Happy new one, Madeline.

My First Year as a Journalist sounds terrific. I'll have to look for that one.

Plus it'd fit the TIOLI challenge I just posted. Assuming that the author is herself someone who's worked at a newspaper.

Happy new thread, Madeline, those nice pictures of hot air balloons make me smile :-)

>13 Ameise1:, 15 Thanks, Barbara and Anita.

>14 lindapanzo: That is such a good book, Linda. It will take me a while to read through it, though, since I'm trying to read so many books at once (as always!). The author, Diane Selditch, is an award-winning journalist and editor whose articles have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times and Self magazine. She began her career at The Orlando Sentinel where she was a reporter, desk editor, and editor of the Sunday magazine.

Happy new thread, Madeline!!

>18 Berly: Thanks, Kim!

Happy new thread! I haven't been able to keep up this year, of course, but wanted to say hello.

>20 ffortsa: Hi, Judy! It's all but impossible to keep up with everyone's thread, but I appreciate you greetings. I do hope that one day we'll be able to meet in person.

Happy new thread, Madeline! I'm taking today to, well not catch up, but at least say some hellos!

9. The English Teacher - Yiftach Reicher Atir


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April 2017 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book whose title has two words sharing one adjacent letter across those two words (E)
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I liked this book very much and found that, the further I read, the more intrigued I became and the more I wanted to read this novel through to its conclusion. I do love how the author's introduction describes this novel as "And so, this is a true story, of real-life operatives that are wholly made-up, and actual missions that never happened." Spy stories usually don't interest me. The first chapter of this novel was kind of slow. What intrigued me most about it was that it was about an Israeli Mossad agent whose story was told through her handler. Not knowing much about espionage at all, I was interested in the professional relationship between the handler Ehud and his operative Rachel.

I thought that this story was told from a very interesting perspective. The story seemed very real, but I'm not sure I can buy into a particular decision Rachel made near the end of the book. I found this story tense and thrilling and would recommend this book to those who like to read books by Israeli authors or who like to read novels about the Mossad or about espionage in general.

Rating - 4 stars

10. At the Broken Places - Mary Collins, Donald Collins


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April 2017 TIOLI Challenge: In honor of the 4th month, read a book with a 4 word title
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I read this book because I still feel uncomfortable with the idea of a trans individual, and I wanted to educate myself more about this issue. After reading this book, my hope is that the idea of transgender becomes more mainstream, kind of as being gay is now.

I think it took a great deal of courage for both mom and son (formerly daughter) to write this book. It did exactly what I wanted which was to explain the emotional turmoil of this issue and steps that can be taken to overcome it. I found this book both deeply sad and yet deeply empowering. For me as a mom, I identified with Mary who lost her precious little girl when she transitioned into a he. I can't imagine having to lose my own little girl with her pretty bows and pink, ruffled clothes (which my own daughter tired of as soon as she grew old enough to see me stereotyping her in clothing!). On the other hand, I felt so sorry for Donald who only wanted to be himself and to be treated with dignity for the person that he knew himself to be. I am truly impressed that mom and son were able to work together on this book and hope that doing so brought them closer together (which both say it did).

I also liked the parts of the book that dealt with other families of trans children. Each family must deal with this issue in its own way, but I liked that one of the groups was set up to include parents who also have problems with this issue, although not the physical issues that their children do.

This is a brave book and a great resource for any family undergoing this issue or for someone like me who is trying to learn to be more accepting of individuals in all their similarities and differences.

Rating - 5 stars

11. A House for Hermit Crab - Eric Carle


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April 2107 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book where a title word starts with the same letter as the author's name (first or last) (C) - 32 pages
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I have been reading books by Eric Carle for a long time because I am such a fan of his artwork. This book is no exception, but there are many other reasons I love it so much.

My three-year-old grandson was totally interested in hearing me read this book from cover to cover. The story of this hermit crab reminded him of our family vacations at the beach and led him to reminisce about what we do at the beach. The story incorporates some interesting flora and fauna of the sea and even explains some of them in more detail in a glossary at the back of the book.

The story talks about months of the year. We talked about whose birthday was in each month, but there are also other things that can be discussed with a child when talking about months. I love books that are fodder for discussion. It makes reading so much more fun.

Because this story is about a hermit crab, it also brings back memories of when my younger son had hermit crabs of his own as pets because it was a time I would not allow any of my children to have larger pets. We had total fun with the two he had (Neptune and Stripey), and this book reminds me of that time.

This is also such a fun story about growing. This is a big deal for preschoolers, and it's fun to see how hermit crab deals with this issue. The hermit crab in the story is aware of beauty in the world and wants to make his home beautiful. This story is also about sharing as the growing hermit crab passes his beautiful shell home to another smaller hermit crab.

As I said, I love this book!

Rating - 5 stars

>25 SqueakyChu: The hermit crab book does look like it's a lot of fun.

>26 thornton37814: It is. I used to have another hermit crab book I read to my own kids when they were little, but this book is so much better!

>25 SqueakyChu:

Thanks for reminding me of this wonderful book!
I have a 3-yr-old great nephew who will also love this one.

>28 nrmay:. Great! Let me know what he thinks of it!

>29 SqueakyChu:

A recent hit was MR. WUFFLES! by David Wiesner, about a cat and spaceship of tiny aliens.
We read it 4 times. My favorite too!

>25 SqueakyChu: Love that one!! Happy Sunday. : )

>31 Berly: Hi Kim! Thanks for stopping by.

My older son took me today to see my first ever anime. It was the movie called "Your Name". I loved it. I cried almost through the whole movie.

I was thinking today about how I started reading manga and got many others to try it in the TIOLI challenges, although many were skeptical. I think that my familiarity with manga at this point helped me appreciate this movie today more than I would have otherwise.

Is anyone else here into anime, or has anyone else here seen this movie?

>30 nrmay: I'll have to look for that book!

13. Shirobamba - Yasushi Inoue


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April 2017 TIOLI Challenge:
Read a book with a title starting with the first letter of your LT username (S for SqueakyChu)
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This was a very quiet, beautiful, and gentle book about Kosaku, a young boy raised in the early twentieth century in Yugashima, Japan, by his Granny Onui. She was not his natural grandmother but the adoptive mother of Nanae, Kosaku's natural mother. Boy and grandmother lived in the storehouse rather than in the main building because Granny Onui had been the mistress, not the wife of Great Grandfather Tat. All of this was explained in great detail in the book, and I wrote it all down so as not to get confused by the family relationships. I've never before read a book about a young child in which that child was the total focus of the book and also treated with so much insight and dignity.

As the story proceeded and I no longer had to focus so strictly on who was related to whom, I began to really enjoy this novel. It's deep into a child's life and thoughts. We meet Kosaku's his family, friends, teacher, and even his school principal. We experience many of the events of his life, such as watching horse-speeding, participating in athletic events, traveling to relatives out of town, and spying on a found boy who had been "hidden my by the gods". Many of these events were autobiographical of the author's life.

Perhaps my favorite chapter of this book was the one in which Kosaku and Granny Onui went to Toyohashi to visit the boy's parents and his younger sister. Kosaku enjoyed the visit to the city but was eager to return to his usual country life. He became the center of an argument of who should raise him and was not without his own misadventure before heading back to Yugashima.

This book might not be for an individual who is heavy into plot development, but it is quite a treat for anyone who wants to looks at life from an individual's perspective and has an appreciation for young children.

Rating - 5 stars

Wish you a good start into the new reading week

>36 paulstalder: Haha! Great frog! Thanks so much!

>35 SqueakyChu: This sounds great! I've read/enjoyed several of Inoue's short stories, but I've never tackled any of his longer-form writing. I'd meant to, but I guess I kinda forgot about him... whoops. Hooray for you writing this review and hooray for my library having a bunch of books in stock.

>38 andrewreads: Hurray for you for finding my review. I always think of you when I read a great piece of Japanese fiction. :)

My older son has booked another trip to Japan for this winter's Komiket.

And...guess what?! I saw my first anime film this past week! He took me to see Your Name which I loved. I cried through the whole movie. He saw it three more times with his friends. It's a pretty convoluted movie so seeing it more than once would make it easier to follow. The version I saw was in Japanese with subtitles, but one version he saw was dubbed in English. We're pretty surprised that this anime made it to our local movie theater here in Rockville, Maryland.

>33 SqueakyChu: I started with anime, of a sort - Warriors of the Winds, which is a (badly) cut and dubbed version of Nausicaa of the Valley of the Winds. I saw it on TV and taped it (yes, taped - it was that long ago), but my tape got messed up before I could watch it again. I couldn't find Warrior anywhere (probably for good reason) and the only version of Nausicaa I could find was in Japanese without even subtitles. Yeah, no. But then I found the manga of the story - Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind the Perfect Collection - and collected all of those. Since then I've read some manga and watched quite a few animes (mostly, but not entirely, Miyazaki movies - including Nausicaa, it finally came out with a (good) English-dubbed version). I haven't seen Your Name - I'll keep an eye out for it. Yes, surprising for it to show up in Rockville - but apparently there's a market there (your son and you, at least!). Good - more people should be seeing anime.

>39 SqueakyChu: Very cool! I watched the trailer for Your Name awhile back and I thought it looked great. Your review makes me look forward to seeing it that much more. There's a cheap theatre just north of Seattle that gets a lot of animated/foreign/indie/documentary films a few months after they're first released in theatres; our plan is to go and catch it there. Do you think you'll make a habit of watching more anime moving forward? There are so many lovely films/series that you can find within that genre.

>40 jjmcgaffey: I watched Nausicaa of the valley of the Wind a couple of weeks ago and I think it's my favourite of the Miyazaki films I've seen so far (love Totoro, too). But there are plenty left so I might change my mind.

>40 jjmcgaffey: My son saw Your Name four times! He saw the subtitled version three times and one time the version that was dubbed in English. That movie is complicated enough that it would be worthwhile seeing again because it's kind of hard to figure out. On second viewing, the viewer would have more of an idea what's going on.

The day I went with my son (noon on Easter Sunday) there was only one other family (probably Japanese tourists) in the movie, but my son said the other days and times were sold out. I really hope we have more of them. I'd be willing to see some more. I am really surprised at how much I liked that movie.

On my movie day, my son went with me, but on the other days he went with his friends. :)

>41 andrewreads: Oh, Andrew. I will go back and see more. I'm glad let my curiosity about manga and anime take over. I really had no idea that I'd like any of it. I always thought that manga was just teenybopper high school romance comics. I most like the type of manga that is "slice of life". Some manga I don't like at all. So far, my favorite series has been Yotsuba!...and I read all the 13 volumes that have come out so far. The last volume I got from my public library.

Don't miss Your Name. I read that it is now the #1 best-selling anime to have been released in the US. I'm glad for its success here.

>42 PawsforThought: I definitely have to see films by Miyazaki. I hope some of them come back so I can see them in the theater.

>45 SqueakyChu: Films never come back in the theater over here (unless it's a small specialized one - never in the bigger chains).

>46 PawsforThought: Yeah. I just talked to my older son about that this evening. He says that they may come back but not to the big theaters.

Madeline - I thought of you when I came across this the other day -
Meet Constable Elliot: New Zealand Police's hired guinea pig:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11848154

>48 avatiakh: Haha! That's so cute!

Just stopping by to wish you a great weekend, Madeline!

>50 tymfos: Thank you so much, Terri. Likewise!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend, Madeleine

>52 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.

I was so happy to learn of Macron's success in the French election. That was the best news I've heard for months!

>54 SqueakyChu: - I have been out all day and did not listen to the news at all. That's great to hear. It sure wasn't a certainty, and I'm sure it doesn't mean the end of the followers of LePen, but it is most certainly good news

>55 jessibud2: Well, it was almost a certainty - he's been leading with roughly the kind of figues he won with the whole time. It definitely doesn't mean the end of Le Pen and her followers, though, as this was the best election result they've ever had.

>54 SqueakyChu: So was I, Madeline.
Macron was leading in the polls, but polls aren't always reliable.

>57 FAMeulstee: Surprisingly enough the French opinion polls have proven remarkably accurate. The key to the French election was the first round and it was a case of who would beat Le Pen in the second round. It was just as well the Communist fellow didn't make the top two with her or it would have been carnage.

Common sense prevailed.

Have a good weekend, Madeleine.

>57 FAMeulstee:

...but polls aren't always reliable

...as we who live in the US know too well. :(

>55 jessibud2: >56 PawsforThought: >57 FAMeulstee: >58 PaulCranswick:

I had greatly feared for the future of the EU since the Brexit vote had Macron not prevailed. The countries I thought I knew are changing so much...even Israel. I hate Netanyahu cozying up to 45. No one should cozy up to 45.

On a better note, I went to my first town hall
meeting. I no longer drive at night, but I talked my husband into taking me. I live in a blue state so the meeting was an exceptional delight. Our congressman, Jamie Raskin of Maryland's 8th district, is very much a liberal and pointed in the right direction. He was a former professor of congressional law at the law school of American University in Washington, DC. At the town hall meeting, he talked about the new "congressional patriotism" that has arisen since our January election. His talk was informative, calming, and humorous. He received no boos, only applause. He just introduced a bill in Congress to invoke the 25th amendment to see if 45 is mentally and physically fit to be president.

Watch this congressman. He is a gem. I also have deep respect for Elijah Cummings, the Maryland congressman from a district in Baltimore county, Maryland.

By the way, it is nice to know that my friends from outside of the US are just as concerned about the deterioration in my country as I am. Thank you for your support.

>60 SqueakyChu: - No town hall necessary. I can tell you without hesitation that 45 is NOT " mentally and physically fit to be president". Heh! It's just a matter of time before he either jumps or is pushed. Not sure that what will follow will be much better, policy-wise, but I doubt anyone can be as mentally unhinged as the current *Twit*

This is a funny story for those of you who hung in there with me when I challenged you on TIOLI to read manga!

I decided to introduce my three-year-old grandson to manga since he found my daughter's old Sailor Moon collection on a "treasure hunt" in an upstairs closet. We couldn't find volume 1 so I told him we'd start with volume 2. I also told him that it might be hard to understand since we weren't starting with the first book of the series. I explained that in manga, comics from Japan, we start the book from what seems like the back and read in a reverse direction (right to left...as with Hebrew). I used a non-sharpened pencil to point to each frame as I was reading the book.

He seemed to be enjoying it very much and wanted me to read more and more. However, the story was not making much sense to either of us. It wasn't until I read about a third of the book that I noticed that I was reading it backward! My older son explained to me that, since Sailor Moon was one of the first manga popular in the US, it had been published left-to-right. Not vice versa. We both had a good laugh over that!

I went back into the closet, searched for volume 1, found it, and started reading it left-to-right. Now it makes sense! Haha!

>62 jessibud2: I agree.

Thankfully I can now see how 45 is making his own situation worse. What I cannot understand are those in his own party who blindly follow him. They are as bad as he is because they are following an oligarch and are not following the constitution. That is so not done in a democracy!

By the way, I'll answer your email with a snail mail letter. It's kind of fun to write letters the old way again. It's probably also fun for you to get something in the mail that is neither a bill nor an advertisement. :)

>60 SqueakyChu: Jamie Raskin does look the real deal. Apparently he garnered more financial assistance from the electorate than any non-incumbent in the country when he was campaigning for congress. Candidates that can attract the public and get them interested again are so so necessary the world over.

Hej Madeline. Just looking around and wondering about '45' ... apparently some Kabbalistic algorithm which puts strangers on the wrong path.

We just had our https://www.xn--wenkenhofgesprche-3qb.ch/ here in Riehen (talks in the Wenkenhof) with different politicians, sociologists, journalists, historians etc. under the heading 'A New World order or Chaios?'. What makes us uneasy here about USAmerican politics is the talk about 'the constitution hindering' the ruling, and the disrespect towards governmental and legal institutions. Developments like these are disturbing - Brexit is not so disturbing since the British do not debate the constitution but 'only' their participation in another community. But whenever a statesman starts calling the constitution into question, I feel uneasy.

I got some books by authors you recommended to me:
- See under: Love by David Grossman (from a bookmoocher in Japan)
- Kommt ein Pferd in die Bar : Roman by David Grosman
- A Woman in Jerusalem by A. B. Yehoshua
I also got Meine russische Grossmutter und ihr amerikanischer Staubsauger by Meir Shalev and Bis der Tag anbricht by Aharon Appelfeld and Gras und Sand by David Schütz
Now I just need time to read them ....

>65 PaulCranswick: I never heard of Jamie Raskin until this congressional primary. I learned about all of the eligible candidates and found the candidate from my own area of town (Rockville) was too tepid about issues. Raskin (who represented the Silver Spring/Takoma Park area in the state House of Delegates) seemed eager to take on issues that were very controversial and always seemed to be on my side of those issues. Also important is that he was a professor of constitutional law...so he is an expert at knowing about the constitution and how its laws should be carried out. Now it's very important that we have a leader such as this in congress. I predict he will be very successful at the federal level. It was a great honor to listen to him speak in person.

>66 paulstalder: Paul, I feel the same way you do. I'm terrified of 45 (what we call DT so we don't have to say his name). He is breaking the constitutional laws at every turn. What keeps him in place so far is that the Republicans are in the majority in both houses (House of Representatives and Senate). I don't know what those Republican senators are so afraid of. It is either losing control of the government or facing the fury of 45 if they go against him. Whatever it is, it's not enough for most of them to say that following the constitution is more important than following 45. Our democracy is quickly vanishing. Really.

Sadly, 45 is disrespectful to everything and everyone. He has no business being president of the United States. To me, this is the worst thing that has happened to our country since the Vietnam war. It may even be worse since he has the capacity to bring us into a nuclear holocaust. I am hoping and praying that he will be impeached sooner rather than later. He has no ideology or agenda other than tearing apart what President Obama did in his administration and making his billionaire friends even rich and more powerful.

>66 paulstalder: See Under: Love was the one book by David Grossman that I could not get into.. I had to quit reading it. It became too weird. See what you think. Good luck. I'd read anything else by him, though.

I haven't read Kommt ein Pferd in die Bar. I bet it's good.

You'll love A Woman in Jerusalem!

The Blue Mountain is my favorite book of Meir Shalev.

I haven't read Meine russische Grossmutter und ihr amerikanischer Staubsauger.

I think there may be more Hebrew books published in German than in English.

I have read books by Aharon Appelfeld in the past but I prefer more contemporary Israeli authors. The books I read of his in the past were more about WWII and that era rather than after the State of Israel was founded.

I am not familiar with David Schütz. After you read his book, tell me if you think I'd like it.

If you can get hold of The English Teacher by Yiftach Reicher Atir, read that as well. It's a brand new book I found in my public library. It's about the Mossad. Even though I dislike spy stories, I found that novel truly fascinating.

I'll be following your Israeli reads! kidzdoc and avatiakh also read a lot of Israeli novels. Both can also recommend some I've not read.

14. All About Japan: Stories, Songs, Crafts, and More - Willamarie Moore


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May 2017 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book whose title refers to a place or location
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This book is excellent. I selected it at the public library when I was looking for books for my three-year-old grandson. I didn't choose the book for him, but I picked it for myself. I became interested in Japanese culture from reading contemporary Japanese fiction, from being introduced (successfully) to manga and anime by my older son, and from following along my older son's accounts of his two recent trips to Japan.

What I loved most about this book was its simplicity and utility. It is easy to understand, with bright, colorful pictures and a multiplicity of activities. My favorite was making an origami frog...which led to me making many origami frogs with my grandson. I was also intrigued by the language sounds which seem like an easy place to start learning Japanese (which my older son is doing now). I love languages so I found this part of the book especially fascinating.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Japan or the Japanese language. This book is great both for kids and adults...even older adults like myself!

Rating - 5 stars

Hi Madeline,
The Toronto Jewish Film Festival is currently under way but I only managed to go to 3 films before leaving to come to Montreal. I saw a very good first person doc on Shimon Peres. Another one I saw was called Body & Soul - The Bridge, and was about the bridge between Black and Jewish music in the US, especially pertaining to this song, possible the most covered song ever. I liked this one! But the one I saw yesterday was a 1974 production of the Amos Oz book, My Michael and to be honest with you, I thought it was god-awful. I don't know if it was the acting or the story itself but it was just blech. If I had been in an aisle seat, I'd have left. I'm thinking that it may have been the story itself that was flat. I seem to remember attempting to read it years ago and probably didn't finish it. It just felt disjointed, and one-dimensional. While it was nice to see Jerusalem again and be able to follow the dialogue and not need the subtitles so much, it wasn't enough to keep me entertained. Oh well, win some, lose some....

>71 jessibud2: Sorry about the My Michael film. I didn't even know that book (which I read about a hundred years ago) was made into a movie. Did you ever see movie with Natalie Portman about Amoz Oz's biography, A Tale of Love and Darkness? That was both an excellent book and a great film.

I had to give up going to the international film festivals that I'd been attending with my friend Barbara for years. She lives in another city (Catonsville, Maryland), and the films were at night. I no longer see well enough to drive at night so that ended my seeing those films which were all excellent. Oh, well. I can still read. :)

>69 SqueakyChu: thanks for all the comments, Madeline. So I will probably start going with the Horse to the bar and then look at the Woman in Jerusalem :)

>72 SqueakyChu: (which I read about a hundred years ago) oh boy, that was during world war ONE, and you are still reading, amazing, keep on going!

>63 SqueakyChu: Reading the Manga backwards which turned out to be backwards!! That is too funny. Wishing you a Happy Mother's Day!

>74 Berly: Thanks, Kim. Happy Mother's Day to you, too!

15. Every Man Dies Alone/Alone in Berlin - Hans Fallada


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June 2017 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book where changing one letter in the title still makes the title make sense (Every Man Died Alone)
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I have had possession of this book for a long time, but it took a while for me to start reading it. I picked up this book to actually read in the first place because my copy had this quote on the front cover: "The greatest book ever written about German resistance to the Nazis." (Primo Levi) Being personally depressed about the results of the 2016 United States presidential election and seeing the American government trying to diminish democracy, I wanted to see what was done in the past in similar situations and was initially attracted to that word "resistance".

I find books about the Holocaust hard but necessary to read and tend to space them out so as not to read them too close together. I usually do not like reading fiction about the Holocaust because the truth about that historical event is terrible enough that I see little use for creating fiction about it. And yet. This book is a notable example of Holocaust fiction that works well because it is by a noted German author who lived in Germany his whole life - even through the darkest hours of WWII. It is also based on a true story. In this time for me of political turbulence and fear in my own country of the United States, I desperately needed to read a book about resistance to evil forces. I needed to know that moral forces can be present in the seeming abyss of the darkest hours.

This is not to say that this was as easy read. To the contrary. The plot was complicated, the book was lengthy, the subject matter heartbreaking, and there were many characters about whom I had to take notes to remember who was who. In addition, I wrote down a short summary of each chapter, no more than a sentence or two in length, so that I could keep track of everything that happened. This proved helpful to me. Fortunately, each chapter was short so I could do this easily.

It took me a long time to read this book. I mostly needed to stop reading after each short chapter or two to contemplate what just happened. I don't usually read books in this manner, but Holocaust reading pushes heavily on my heart for personal reasons.

I would suggest to anyone who wants to read this book to read the biography of the author first. That will give you a better perspective on why he chose to write this book.

At the end of the book, there are pictures of the couple upon whom this book was based as well as pictures of the postcards they distributed and their signed confessions.

Since my dad was a refugee from Nazi Germany in 1938, escaping penniless and fleeing for his life, my eternal gratitude goes to anyone who helped Nazi victims in any way. Resistance was not easy. The true heroes of this book are both the couple on whom this novel was based and the author himself, all of who stood for morality in a time of pervasive evil.

This is a book well worth the time and effort I put into reading it. I recommend it very highly to those who are interested in learning more about German resistance to the Nazis during wartime.

Rating - 5 stars

>76 SqueakyChu: I thumbed your review, Madeline, I read the book a few years back and was impressed...

>77 FAMeulstee: It is an awesome book. It's just as heartbreaking as it is inspiring. It took me almost two months to work my way through that book which the author wrote in only 24 days! I have no idea how he did that. I'd like to read more works by the same author although I doubt that I would be blown away quite as much as I was with this book.

P. S. I don't usually write such long reviews. LOL

>78 SqueakyChu: I have the Dutch translation of Kleiner Man - was nun? (Little Man, What Now?) waiting on the shelves.

>79 FAMeulstee: Tell me how you like it after you read it. I handed off my copy of Every Man Dies Alone to my dental hygienist. Even though she is from the Philippines, she likes to read Holocaust fiction. I thought she'd be impressed with Fallada's book. Her family in the Philippines is stuck with Duterte. :(

>76 SqueakyChu: Five stars! Congrats on finishing the book and I am glad you liked it so much. : )

>81 Berly: I accept your congratulations. It took such a long time to finish that book, but it was compelling reading throughout.

>76 SqueakyChu: I must read that book and soon, Madeleine. I thoroughly enjoyed your review.

>83 PaulCranswick: I hope you do, Paul. It's quite thought-provoking.

It is heart-warming to know that some people fight for what is right and moral even in the darkest of times and even at great peril to themselves.

16. We All Scream: The Fall of the Gifford's Ice Cream Empire - Andrew Gifford


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June 2017 TIOLI Challenge: Read a book with a food *embedded* in the title (cream)
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This is such a harrowing story. I feel like shaking the author's hand to congratulate him simply for surviving his childhood. I actually did get to shake his hand, but it was before I read this book. In my young adult years, I Iived near and frequently visited the iconic Gifford's Ice Cream Parlor in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, It was known for the best ice cream around...although I also liked the ice cream at the dairy of the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. I moved away from Silver Spring before Gifford's closed. I was sad to hear about its closure, but I did not know any of the Gifford family story which lead to its downfall.

It was fun to discover the Gifford name a few years ago when, on the Early Reviewers program of LibraryThing, I learned that Andrew Gifford of Silver Spring ice cream parlor family fame was running a small press of which I won an advance review copy of one of its books. I was fascinated to discover what happened to Andrew Gifford by googling his information. When I learned that he published a book of his own about his family and was to appear at the Kensington International Day of the Book street festival in April, 2017, I took advantage of the opportunity to meet him and buy his book.

His story about the ice cream parlor's demise is a very troubling one involving mental illness, family dysfunction, and bizarre business practices bordering on criminality. How Andrew Gifford was involved was minimal because he was a child in the store's heyday, but how his family business affected him was deep and sad. I admire the fact that he was able to not only put his difficult past behind him but I am also struck by the fact that he turned his experiences into something good. He had a penchant for writing and publishing. He followed his heart to begin his own small press, an outgrowth of a small publication he did while in school studying something entirely different.

Gifford wove a tremendously interesting story in this book about his family. I liked how he started with himself as a child and moved backwards in time to fully flesh out his family's interactions. By the time he got around to writing about the family business itself, the reader is already deeply immersed in and aware of the personalities involved in this troubling story.

I highly recommend this book to those interested in reading about family dysfunction as a way of further understanding mental illness or about an individual's ability to survive adversity. This story reminds me a lot of The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls in that the youngster of a dysfunctional family is a successful survivor. I wanted to cheer for Andrew Gifford when I turned the last page of this book.

Gifford writes...
"To obsess about Gifford's Ice Cream three decades after it vanished from the face of the Earth? Who could possibly do such a thing? Why?...
Maybe it's not about the product. Maybe it is purely about nostalgia."

Yes. Yes, it is.

Rating - 5 stars

I've been so behind this year it's embarrassing. Finally get back into the swing of things at LT and am so glad I've found your thread, Madeline... I've even brought a special kevlar vest to help protect me from too many book bullets as, if memory serves, I am often hit squarely by many of them when I've visited your threads in the past. ;-)

>86 cameling: Thanks for stopping by, Caroline. I haven't been visiting many threads any more so it's good to hear from you. Hey! Book bullets aren't that bad!!

>85 SqueakyChu: Awesome review!! I am not sure I will be on a quest to find it, but if I should chance upon it, I will scoop it up! (Pun intended) Happy weekend.

>88 Berly: I'm doing a book ring with my book We All Scream. If you want to join it and don't mind mailing the book back to me, I'll add your name. To join, just private message me your mailing address. Let me know either way. Thx!

Two really great, interesting reviews in a row! I have Every Man Dies Alone on my shelf, purchased at a big used book sale several years ago -- it was a LT book bullet.

I don't know anything about Gifford ice cream, but your review make me interested in that We All Scream book.

>90 tymfos: Both of those books are really great. I don't know how easy it would be for you to get hold of We All Scream, but if you want to read it, I could add you to my BookRing in which that book is being mailed from person to person here in the United States. Let me know if you want to join.

By the way, I am in your state of Pennsylvania now passing through on our way to Canada. We're in a Bed and Breakfast in the mountains north of Altoona almost near the New York border.

I hope you had a pleasant time traveling through our state!

>93 SqueakyChu:. Indeed! The mountains of Pennsylvania were so beautiful.

>89 SqueakyChu: I am in for the book ring! PMed you. : )

Happy Friday.

>94 Berly: I added you to the list. I mailed the book to one person in Maryland. There are two others ahead of you on the book ring. We'll have to see if it gets to you! ;/

Thanks! Crossing my fingers. ; )

On this day of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for many things, one of them being



Thank you for being so wonderful! : )

>97 Berly: Thank you, Kim. Likewise. I am so grateful for the friends I have made here on LibraryThing. They have turned out to be some of the most special people.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones.

>99 Ameise1: Thank you. I hope your holidays are happy days!

Hi! I've been a lurker all year - but I wanted to stop by and say Happy Holidays.



Knowing you lights my world!
Peace and Joy to you and yours!

It is that time of year again, between Solstice and Christmas, just after Hanukkah, when our thoughts turn to wishing each other well in whatever language or image is meaningful to the recipient. So, whether I wish you Happy Solstice or Merry Christmas, know that what I really wish you, and for you, is this:

>101 nittnut: >102 ronincats: Best wishes to you both for a happy holiday season and a fabulous New Year!

Happy Boxing Day!!

>104 Berly: I don't know much about Boxing Day, but I wish the same to you!

It's historically the day off for servants in England the day after Christmas. Currently it is the day to avoid stores because everyone is doing returns. For me, it is a way to still spread good wishes after the big day because I am running late!! LOL. Hope you enjoy the holidays.

For me, it was a l-o-n-g babysitting day because my four-year-old grandson had no school today. I slept for two hours this evening...and Now I'm not tired enough to sleep for the night. Maybe reading a book will put me to sleep?

Good luck!! Choose a genre you don't like...

>108 Berly: I'm more likely to throw such a book across the room! Haha!

Ha!! Well, that wasn't very helpful advice then. LOL

>109 SqueakyChu: LOL here, too!