76. Killing Rommel

By: Stephen Pressfield
Rated 4 1/2 Stars
DVD Recording
From: Library

This was a rousing WWII adventure story. British Eighth Army, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps are advancing on the valuable oil fields of the Middle East. If the Desert Fox and his panzers gain control of these reserves, Hitler will have all the fuel he needs to power a successful offensive against the Soviets. The British government gambles with a desperate plan: send a small, highly skilled team of commandos, the Long Range Desert Group, behind enemy lines to assassinate Rommel. Told from the point of view of a young tank officer and second in command of the team, R. L. Chapman, this gripping novel is chock-full of evocative, historical details that readers of military fiction will voraciously devour.

75. The Fall of Eagles

By C. L. Sulzberger
Rated: DNF

I just couldn't make myself keep reading this book. However I loved the content so it was probably that the writing style and I were not compatible. I did want to finish it so much that I reactiveded my netflix membership and ordered the 1974 BBC production of it. The blurb from netflix is below.

This superb BBC production chronicles three European dynasties that ultimately crumbled: the Hapsburgs of Austria-Hungary, the Romanovs of Russia and the Hohenzollerns of Germany. Set in the late 1800s, the miniseries recounts how the convergence of autocracy, social strife and World War I led to each family's downfall. The outstanding cast includes Patrick Stewart, John Rhys-Davies, Gemma Jones, Gayle Hunnicutt and Tom Conti.

74. Foyle's War - Season 5

DVD
From: Library
Rated 5 Stars +++++

"No one was unhappy when World War II ended, but the demise of Foyle’s War is something else entirely."

And this is exactly how I feel. I am going to miss this series. Before I alway's had the knowledge that one more set was in the works. Now it's over. For lovers of good mysteries I highly recommend watching this series from the beginning. It is something special. But to purchase it is out of my reach as it is pricey. Amazon has this last series listed for $45. (sigh) Anyone interested might find it at their library like I did or from Netflix.

AMAZON: For fans of this first-rate British murder mystery series, set against the backdrop of that epic conflict, Set 5 represents something of a reprieve; although Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) retired at the end of Set 4, circumstances force him to return to action in "Plan of Attack," the first of three 90-minute episodes (each on its own disc) offered here. But by the end of this set, the war is over and Foyle has eased back into retirement. That’s lamentable. Smartly conceived and often quite masterfully executed, this show will certainly be missed. "History meets mystery" has been the concept from the beginning, as the low-key (like Peter Falk’s Columbo, he knows much more than he lets on), unfailingly decent Foyle and his assistants, Sgt. Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) and driver Samantha "Sam" Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks), solve murders and various other crimes in and around bucolic Hastings, England, while WWII rages on at home and abroad. But this time out, the war provides much more than context, as the murders tend to be directly related to it. What’s more, Set 5 affectingly deals with combat’s heavy emotional psychological toll. It’s a burden we see carried by the cartographer who can’t bear knowing that his work is helping to kill innocent German civilians (in "Plan of Attack"); by the maimed former POW struggling to readjust to life at home, the teenager whose job it is to deliver bad news telegrams to soldiers’ families, and the Jewish doctor, a refugee from Poland, whose survivor’s guilt leads him down a very dark path (all three in "Broken Souls"); and even by Foyle’s own son (Julian Ovenden, in "All Clear"). OK, so the mysteries may not be all that mysterious--perceptive viewers will have little difficulty identifying the culprits. But with its multi-layered storytelling (the scripts were written by creator Anthony Horowitz) and fine production values (the cinematography, editing, and music are all excellent), Foyle’s War is a whodunit that’s both a prime example of its genre and thoroughly successful on its own unique terms. Bonus features include a brief "making of" featurette and cast filmographies

73. Breaking Dawn

By: Stephanie Meyer
Rated: 4 1/2 Stars
From: Library

This book made me feel very squeamish in parts. Think Rosemary's Baby. In spite of that I really enjoyed it.

FROM LIBRARY DESCRIPTION: When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved? To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen, and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fates of two tribes hangs. Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered inTwilight, then scattered and torn inNew MoonandEclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?

72. Where The River Ends

By Charles Martin
Rated 4 1/2 Stars
From: Library

This book ended up being so much better than I thought it was going to be. When I put it on my reserve list I had something like one of Nicholas Sparks books in mind but had high hopes it would be a little better. Not all that much, but some better.

I was wrong. This was a very good book. Doss not only has his wife's cancer to worry about but also has to battle her family every inch of the way in order to give her the kind of ending of her life that she wants.

He was a fishing guide and struggling artist from a south George trailer park. She was the beautiful only child of South Carolina's most powerful senator. Yet once Doss Michaels and Abigail Grace Coleman met by accident, they each felt they'd found their true soul mate. Ten years into their marriage, when Abbie faces a life-threatening illness, Doss battles it with her every step of the way. And when she makes a list of ten things she hopes to accomplish before she loses the fight for good, Doss is there, too, supporting her and making everything possible. Together they steal away in the middle of the night to embark upon a 130-mile trip down the St. Mary's River--a voyage Doss promised Abbie in the early days of their courtship.

71. A Rather Curious Engagement

By C. A. Belmond
Rated 4 Stars
From Library

American freelancer-turned-heiress Penny Nichols is back for more fun and another engaging international romp with her English hero, Jeremy. Pursued by gigolos, gold-diggers, an ex-wife, and highly aggressive salesmen chasing after their millions, Penny and Jeremy decide to take the summer off and sock away most of their inheritance for one year. But they allow themselves one big "splurge" from their wish list-- and that's where all the trouble begins. At an auction on the French Riviera, Penny and Jeremy win much more than they bargain for, uncovering a centuries-old rivalry involving the theft of a priceless treasure linked to Beethoven's Germany, the mysterious island of Corsica, a luxurious 1920s yacht, and a medieval castle on Lake Como, Italy.--From publisher description.

70. Letters From Nuremburg

By Christopher J. Dodd
Rated 4 1/2 Stars

The Nuremberg trials demonstrated the resolve of the Allied victors of the Second World War to uphold the principles of dispassionate justice and the rule of law even when cries of vengeance threatened to carry the day. Thomas J. Dodd served as a staff lawyer in this unprecedented trial for crimes against humanity. Thanks to his agile legal mind and especially to his skills at interrogating the defendants, he quickly rose to become the number two prosecutor in the U.S. contingent. Over the course of 15 months, Dodd described his efforts and his vivid impressions of the proceedings in nightly letters to his wife, Grace. Unexamined for decades, these letters now remind us of the inspiration that good people across the world have long taken from that courtroom--and that fear and retribution are not the only bases for confrontation.--From publisher description.

69. Skeletons at the feast

By: Chris Bohjalian
Rated 5 Stars
From: Library

I am definitely in WWII mode this month. After I got my delicious stack of books from the library this morning I sort of closed my eyes and grabbed one because it was so hard to decided which one I wanted to read first. The one I picked was "Skeletons at the feast" that was recommended to me by Tammy, a friend on one of my internet groups. Here is her review for it http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/editors-choice.htm She has done an excellent job of reviewing this book.

68. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

By: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Rated 5 Stars
From: Library


"January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she'd never met, a native of Guernsey, the British island once occupied by the Nazis. He'd come across her name on the flyleaf of a secondhand volume by Charles Lamb. Perhaps she could tell him where he might find more books by this author." "As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, she is drawn into the world of this man and his friends, all members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a unique book club formed in a unique, spur-of-the-moment way: as an alibi to protect its members from arrest by the Germans." "Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the Society's charming, deeply human members, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all. Through their letters she learns about their island, their taste in books, and the powerful, transformative impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds there will change her forever." "Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Vie Society is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways."--BOOK JACKET.

67. A Rather Lovely Inheritance

By C. A. Belmont
Rated 4 Stars
From: Library

I was in need of a light and easy read and this book was just the thing. Light, fun, and fluffy. The plot doesn't take too much scrutiny but if you can suspend your disbelief and just go along for the ride it is a pleasant way to spend a day.

FROM AMAZON: Penny Nichols, finds herself an heiress after her great aunt Penelope dies. Penny flies to London for the reading of Penelope's will and is met by her dashing cousin Jeremy, a barrister. Jeremy receives Penelope's luxurious French villa, while Penny is given her London flat and the contents of the villa's garage. Although their feckless cousin Rollo is well provided for, too, he is envious of his cousins' inheritances and drops a bombshell: Jeremy might not be a blood relation. The revelation sends Jeremy into a depressive funk, causing him to withdraw from Penny, who becomes determined to discover the truth. As she starts to dig into the family's history, the mystery takes her back several generations, and she realizes the connections among them all are more complex than she ever could have imagined. An entertaining yarn with family drama and intrigue aplenty

66. Ghost Train to the Eastern Star

By Paul Theroux
Rated 4 stars
From Library


This book get a 5 star review at amazon and is breathlessly reviewed on the site:


Amazon Best of the Month, August 2008: Way back in the dark pre-Internet, limited-air-travel world of 1975, the way to get from Europe to Asia was by train. A young and ambitious writer named Paul Theroux made his literary mark by taking the 28,000-mile intercontinental journey via rail from London to Tokyo and back home again. His book, The Great Railway Bazaar, became a travel-lit classic. Thirty years later, an older, wiser, and even less sanguine Theroux decided to retrace his steps. The result is Ghost Train to the Eastern Star, a fascinating account of the places you vaguely knew existed (Tbilisi), probably won't ever go to (Bangalore), but definitely should know something about (Mandalay). Get on board Theroux's fast-moving travelogue, which features some of the most astute commentary on our distorted notions of time, space, and each other in the age of jet speed, broadband connections, and cultural extinction. --Lauren Nemroff --

I am finding parts of this book beautifully written and then again parts of it are a little hard going for me. I just finished reading a 107 word sentence that shifted focus several times and IMO should have been several paragraphs if not chapters. Doesn't this man have an editor? But it is good book. Right now the author is wandering around the Republic of Georgia and you can't get much more topical than that.

65. Keep Your Mouth Shut and Wear Beige

By Kathleen Gilles Seidel
Rated 3 1/2 Stars
From Library

I have been a KGS fan for a long, long time. She wrote great, insightful, character driven romance novels. I own her entire romance back list and they have a permanent place on my keeper shelves.

However, she has moved on from the romance genre and started writing more main stream novels. I think they call it women's literature or some such thing. Her first one, An Uncommon Degree of Popularity was not much to get excited over. Readable, but only just. This one is a little better. Maybe by the next one she will have a handle on this new direction she wants to go in. Me, I just wish she would go back to romance where she really stood out.

Being the mother of the groom isn't quite a snap for divorced nurse Darcy Van Aiken in this gently humorous look at how an upcoming wedding upsets the delicate balance of family relationships. Darcy, a busy mother of three, gets along with ex-husband Mike, likes her oldest son Jeremy's bride-to-be and discovers an unexpected affinity for the bride's wealthy but down-to-earth mother. There's just one flaw in the ointment: Mike's new girlfriend, clothing designer Claudia Postlewaite, is determined use the wedding as a means to boost her professional and social standing. From the moment Claudia begins her campaign and cold-shoulders Darcy, there's trouble afoot, but instead of letting the book turn into a comic tug-of-war, Seidel (A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity) reveals the traps people-and especially parents-set for themselves in their marriages and lives. The good (Darcy) vs. evil (Claudia) battle here is light, digestible and full of chuckle-inducing moments.