McQuay

McQuay

Monday, October 8, 2012

{August & September Books}

I forgot to do August's books so we'll just combine August and September.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

This was July's book club book and I didn't get around to finishing it until August. It was a great read! I had seen a movie based on this book many many years ago and so I remembered a little bit what had happened like that he had a crazy wife locked away in the attic and that she tried to burn down the house. But, I thought that was the end of the story, I didn't remember anything else so the last half of the book was completely new to me. I loved it. Also, when I saw the movie didn't really get the whole love story aspect of it probably because I was so young and it wasn't your typical love story, but I totally loved it this time around. Great story. Long, but wonderful. Highly recommend.


The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz: A True Story of World War II
I found this audio book at the library and got it for my drives to and from Houston. The title definitely caught my attention [like it was probably supposed to] but that's not all that this book is about. It follows Denis Avey's life story. It was truly incredible. This man should have died a dozen times and didn't, this man escaped from being a POW 2-3 times by running away during his bathroom break. Craziness. He worked as a POW alongside a Auschwitz's workers and felt it was his duty and responsibility as a soldier to know exactly what was happening in the concentration camps so that he could be a witness for what happened to those people. He traded places with a Jew a couple times to see the living conditions and take names of the Nazis working there. This was just a crazy crazy story. Since it deals with war and concentration camps there are some less than pleasant things which made my stomach turn a couple of times - it's a very heavy book, but I absolutely loved it. Super engaging, educational, inspirational, and makes you think a lot. Highly highly highly recommend. This book will stick with me for a long long long time.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

This book was recommended to me when I was studying sociology at BYU and talking about less than ideal family situations. It's been on my list for a while now and I even got the book for Christmas but didn't get around to reading it until just now. Jeannette grew up in a home with interesting parents. Her dad was an alcoholic and her mother didn't understand the need to work. They often went hungry and cold and moved around all the time. Her parents did love her and taught her physics and astrology and how to use their imagination, but their lack of money and resources and bad habits lead to some terrible situations. I feel this story was about how Jeannette survived her childhood and loved and hated her parents and how to reconcile  those 2 very strong feelings.
Highly recommend. But once again, dealing with some intense things so reader be warned.

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