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The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin by Kip Wilson

It still amazes me how an author, under such tight constraints, can paint the picture so accurately. With a limited use of language and the power of space, Kip Wilson carried me back to the 1930’s where being yourself, whoever you were, was still acceptable, even in the city of Berlin. Although, not a city void of criticism, for there would always be wolves ready to attack, this brief time period gave individuals the opportunity to find their crowd and be embraced. Written in verse, it was an incredible journey where the sights and sounds of Berlin, were at my fingertips.

Through the use of language and space, Hilde’s story was composed on 397-pages, words arranged so strategically that it reads like a work of fiction. Hilde’s gates were finally open as she leaves her controlled world and enters a world where she can find her own niche. She must find employment to begin her new life but with the economy in shambles, Hilde’s options are limited. When Hilde finds Rosa, I think she was able to fully breathe and embrace who she was. This was an emotional read for me as Hilde finally gets to see the world behind her own eyes. 5 stars

So, how much do you really know?

I get totally wrapped up in most of the books that I read yet, my memory is not so good. I’m one of those individuals who say, “I remember reading that” or “I’ve heard of that,” but most of the time, I bet I couldn’t tell you where I heard/read it. Trivia games, ha! You don’t want me on your team.

When I saw this, I had to read it. Interesting…… Let’s see how you do.

Even More Literary Jeopardy To Test Your Bookish Knowledge

Flower Garden

I planted a new flower garden in our backyard this year since the derecho took out our big tree last year. I planted the flowers amongst my bird bath and bird condo and for my first year, I love how colorful things are already. I also planted a row of flowers along the fence row that my neighbors put up.

Oh No, George! By Chris Haughton

I think everyone, children and adults, can relate to George. He has the best intentions but sometimes, he just can’t resist going against them. This was a funny story and George’s expressions and eyes captured my attention on each page and just knowing some background information about dogs made the story more entertaining.

George lives with Harry and George told Harry he would be very good as Harry is headed out the door. Left alone, Harry hopes he’ll be good but eyeing that big cake sitting on the kitchen counter is just too much for George. Oh, George thinks about what he told Harry but he knows how he feels about cake and “What will George do?” Yep! I hope Harry didn’t have special plans for that cake. As I walked along with George in the house, I heard about all the other things that George loved in the house (all the other temptations that were lingering in the house for him) and how George actually managed being home by himself.

I loved the excitement on George’s face when Harry returns! You could feel the love and enthusiasm. As Harry made his way around the house with George right beside him, the look on both of their faces, priceless. The rest of the story is cute and George tries so hard as he loves Harry so much. A cute story with bright simple illustrations. 4.5 stars

Flower Garden

I planted a new flower garden amongst my bird bath and bird condo this year. I also planted flowers along my neighbors fence row as I got tired of looking at the brown fence. I’m loving all the beautiful colors and variety that has sprung up!

Caterpillars

We’re in the process of getting new siding for our house. The derecho that came through our city last year caused lots of damage & now, it’s our turn for siding. It’s also time again for caterpillars on our butterfly bushes which isn’t a good combination since they’re right next to the house. Right now, we have close to 35-40 caterpillars munching away on the plants. I’m a nervous mother as we wait to hear if the new siding is going on next week.

That time of year

Our bushes were beautiful but they were bare. We noticed that the caterpillars hadn’t shown up yet and we were concerned that it has been too hot for them. Then, the next day, they arrived! We counted about 25 of them crawling around on the bushes. This number was a bit less than last year, I can’t take myself away from them when they arrive, I’m constantly checking on them throughout the day and just watching them. After 3 days, all but 1 of them have disappeared. We’ve only located 3 pupas hanging nearby ( we bet the rest are hiding under the bushes) and now, I check on them. This is such an amazing process!!

TorCon 2021 dates

This came in my mailbox today and there are some panels that look really good! I’m going to have to check this out this year as I didn’t know anything about it last year. Living in the Midwest, authors don’t just come walking into this area very often, unless they’ re local or a major event is going on. This event to be like a great opportunity to get to hear some interesting talks. I did listen to a Saturday panel a few months ago and I loved it! I can’t wait to see what this one is all about.

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/TorCon

The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

I have only 52 pages left of this post-apocalyptic adventure left and I need to pause. Breathe, It all comes down to this. The Deliverer, Nico, Harry, the flies, the pieces are aligning….

Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

“Snow, snow, snow!” If you’ve read this book, you’ll understand my statement but if you haven’t and you enjoy these types of novels, you’ll want to read this novel sooner than later.

Holy Moly! I’m trying to read slow but seriously I can’t! I’m too consumed in the lives of Suki and Della to even think I can go any slower. It’s as if I’ve been climbing a mountain and now, I’m falling, seriously tumbling down, like a rock out of control.

Della’s telling the story of her sucky life. She’s not depressed because she doesn’t have a normal family, she’s just curious about what it would be like to have one. Her 16-year -old sister is taking care of her, her mother is incarcerated with her parental rights terminated and now, they’re living with a foster mom. I had to wonder about Suki, what was her life like. She was older than Della so when did things start going downhill? The girls have mixed feeling about where they’re at. It’s a soft-landing spot but it’s also a place where they’re not sure they should be getting comfortable in.

When Suki gets a job, Della needs to go with her and she waits for her to finish her shift. I liked the closeness that these sisters had and I hoped that it would continue. Suki has this strong mature image but still I wondered about her. What was her life like as a small child? Della’s comments about swimming tore at my heart. I couldn’t believe that she’d never been in a pool before. Nor had she owned a swimming suit. As a 10- year-old, I had hoped she had played in water before.

I liked how Francine was trying to provide a normal life for them, she didn’t try to spoil them but she gave them structure and guidance. The girls are battling their previous lives with all the demons and ghosts that came with them. I enjoyed this book and I read it in one sitting, barely putting it down. Make sure that you read the author’s note in the book as they make this story personal and they provide websites, links, and they answer a few questions. 5 stars.