Over at Marianne’s crime site, Tara Sharp has a whole new look! Head on over and see what you think!
I want to take a step back in time to bring you today’s incredible woman. The most heart-breaking thing about this is that she never got to see the awareness she brought to the world just by keeping a diary.
Annelies Marie “Anne” Frank was born June 12th 1929 in an assimilated community in Frankfurt, Germany.
Between 1933 and 1939 over 300,000 Jews fled Germany; the Franks were among them, heading to Amsterdam to take advantage of business prospects and a life free of persecution.
The war came knocking again in 1940 when Germany invaded the Netherlands, and new decrees were passed for Jewish children only to attend Jewish schools. Despite the segregation, Anne still managed to make friends and excel in her studies. This was not the only act of segregation to take place.
It was in a small autograph book given to her for a 13th birthday present that Anne began her diary. She wrote of the restrictions placed upon the Jewish community, her dreams and her seemingly mundane life.
When the family was given a call-up notice in 1942 with orders to relocate to a work camp, they decided instead to go into hiding in rooms behind the offices where Anne’s Father had worked. This is where the Franks stayed for a little over 2 years only to be arrested by the German Order Police on August 4th 1944.
By September 1944 the family was transported to their next destination, the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. On arrival the men, women and children were separated and the old, the sick the weak and the children under 15 were marched to gas chambers. Anne survived this fate but was chosen instead for hard manual labor. She was stripped naked, disinfected, had her head shaved and her identification number was tattooed on her arm.
Anne finally passed away at the age of 15 in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, merely weeks before the British troops liberated the camps. She
had always believed her father had been lost to the gas chambers in Auschwitz, but this was not the case. He was given the diary and a lose bundle of notes written by Anne. He was moved by the detail in which his daughter had recorded their lives.
Otto handed the diary over to Annie Romein-Verschoor and her husband Jan Romein and the road to publication began.
Germany and France published the writings in 1950, the UK picked it up in 1952 but it was out of print due to low sales by ‘53. The US changed the title but also published Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl in 1952 and surprisingly more than 100,000 copies were sold in its first edition in Japan.
Since the 50’s there have been movies and plays adapted from the diaries. There are trees, roses and statues created in Anne’s memory.
In 1999 Time magazine named Anne Frank among the heroes and icons of the 20th century on their list The Most Important People of the Century,
stating, “With a diary kept in a secret attic, she braved the Nazis and lent a searing voice to the fight for human dignity”. Even Madame Tussaudes Wax Museum unveiled a likeness of Anne on March 9th 2012.
So though she lived a short and at times, tortured life, Anne’s legacy to the world is an insightful look at the affect of war on children.
You can pick yourself up a copy of The Diary of Anne Frank from any book shop with decent stock.
Paperback, 224 pages
Published February 1968 by Macmillan General Books (first published 1947) ISBN 0330107372 (ISBN13: 9780330107372) *note this is just one option of MANY of the publications of this memoir* Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Frank#CITEREFFerguson2012
Feed and Deadline are the first two books in Mira Grant’s Newsflesh trilogy. Before I go any further, it has to be said they’re at the pointy end of Young Adult reading – why? There’s the very occasional swear word, possibly a not-very-explicit (at all) sex scene and some pretty complex science talk that you’ll have to suspend belief for. If you’re okay with all of that, go for it. Now. Because there’s zombies. And government conspiracies. And twists and turns that will knock your socks off.
The first book, Feed, is told from the point of view of Georgia Mason. She runs a news blogging site ‘After the End Times’, which is the way folks in the near future get their info. Bloggers come in three types: The Newsies, who report the news, the truth, and nothing but the truth. Then there’s the Fictionals, who write poetry, fiction (duh) and are basically pretty placid kind of folk in the scheme of this world. The most interesting of all bloggers though, are The Irwins. Named for a certain deceased Australian adventurer, Irwins will do anything for a rush, higher ratings and to stir the pot. This includes putting themselves in calculated danger time after time, wearing concealed cameras to record every moment while they go about the business of poking zombies with sticks.
The first part of Feed deals with the explanation of how the zombie crisis began. Way back in 2014, (these books are set in the 2030’s) two man-made viruses were set upon humanity. One was to cure the common cold, the other successfully cured cancer. All good until these viruses mutated and joined, creating Kellis-Amberlee – the zombie virus. Everyone carries it in their system somehow, but it’s not that much of a problem until you die. And then don’t. Grant’s zombies are fairly traditional un-dead types. They moan, they need to feed, they bite and spread infection. Government policy is to shoot (and permanently kill) anyone who has gone into ‘amplification’ immediately. This means big changes in how society works, including dozens of mandatory blood-tests every day.
But it’s not so much the actual zomification these books deal with. Along with her adopted brother Shaun (chief Irwin on After The End Times) and loyal team, George gets a life-changing gig reporting with on the campaign of a senator with aspirations to become the next president of the United States. This, of course is where the conspiracies come in – and a hell of a lot of action, laughs, tears (yes, tears!), gory stuff and evil dudes. My only negative with this book was that there’s a bit of repetition and the big bad was easy to spot. Not so much the ending. I seriously didn’t see that coming.
Deadline differs from Feed in that it’s told from Shaun’s point of view rather than George’s, but his voice is just as witty, sharp and damaged as hers.
Grant has created two extremely likeable, funny and sarcastic narrators, breaking up what could otherwise be a tale of misery. It’s the characters, and what goes on inside their heads, that really push these books through.
In Deadline, the presidential campaign is far behind them, but not so the ramifications of the team’s need to find and report the truth. Secret laboratories, shocking twists and turns and a massive revelation early on made this book extremely hard to put down. Oh, that and the fact that even though physical descriptions of each character aren’t really dwelled on – I think I have a crush on Shaun. Bad attitude combined with a sense of righteousness, fear and recklessness and more than a touch of insanity make this character and his story one that I’m looking forward to continuing. Mira Grant has a sadistic way with cliff-hanger endings, and Deadline was no exception. Book three – Blackout – is due for release in June this year, which is way too long to wait.
Feed by Mira Grant
Published by Orbit Books
IBSN – 978-0-356-50056-0
Paperback 574 pages
Deadline by Mira Grant
Published by Orbit Books
IBSN – 978-1-84149-899-7
Paperback 524 pages
Mira Grant is a pseudonym for author Seanan McGuire. You can check out her other novels at: www.seananmcguire.com
Reading level: Ages 13 and up
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (January 17, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061996181
ISBN-13: 978- 0061996184
Belinda:
Cover
A red haired girl, I assume to be Clara is surrounded by a snow covered forest wearing a nightgown. It makes me feel cold just looking at it.
The cover is overlaid with a lovely, glossy, Celtic or tribal pattern.
Characters
The characters have evolved and moved on from the events of Unearthly and we are introduced to a few new ones.
Favourite
Angela – she’s fearless and hungry for knowledge. She’s outspoken but speaks up for what she believes in.
Least Favourite
I’m going to go out on a limb and pick Michael for my least favourite character. He rubs me the wrong way and though he’s essentially a good character, I just don’t like him.
Beginning
Clara is reeling from the repercussions from Unearthly but is plagued by more visions.
Storyline
Her inner struggle over the new visions and whether to tell the pivotal person they are in danger make for some dramatic chapters.
Ending
The true meaning of the visions becomes clear. Cynthia Hand had me crying and not in a pretty way.
Thoughts
Besides the crying, I enjoyed this novel. It travelled well and kept me intrigued even through the slightly predictable bits. I would still start with Unearthly though, as some of the character development begins its arc in the first book.
You’re left with hope, and that’s a great feeling after doing the ugly cry.
Quote
“Get your butt in here Carrots.” – Tucker
Krista:
Cover
The U.S. Cover is gorgeous. Just like book one this has a pearl glimmer to it. Very gorgeous.
Characters
Favorite
My favorite character is Billy. Although we don’t get to meet her until later in the story, and she is more of a side character. I hope to see her more prominent in the next book.
Least Favorite
I actually did not have a least favorite character in this book. I enjoyed the placement of all of the characters and they fit very well into their places. If I had to choose one, it would be Christian, just because he knew Clara and Tucker were dating, yet still stuck himself in the middle. Although, if I were in his place I would have done it to – so it’s a love/hate relationship.
Beginning
In the beginning, I was nervous because of how the last book ended. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, and Clara seemed awfully depressed all the time. The new Angel Club that is formed introduces more characters and more details about angels and their abilities into the story. We learn about the way each of them was raised and how it affects their calling and the world they live in.
Storyline
Without causing too many spoilers (because this is the 2nd book in the series), the love triangle between Tucker, Clara and Christian begins to develop more. There is something going on with Clara’s brother. He is being really secretive about and starting to act like an angsty teenager, upset by everything that comes along. The blackwing is still watching all of them, and there is a constant danger whenever they leave the hallowed grounds. They usually travel in groups just in case. And then finally, we get to see an introduction to several new characters whom I enjoyed and hope to see more of in the future.
Ending
There are a lot of sad moments in this book. The further the storyline progressed, the more the focus is taken away from Clara, and it made my heart hurt.The story focuses on three things, the Angel Club, the love triangle and family. The ending in this book was so sad, I had to keep tissues nearby. I guess mostly because we as the reader are brought the knowledge of what may be happening early in the book, but I think we have the hopes up that maybe something is going to happen to stop it. A lot of events happen all together and it will make you rethink a lot about what we learned about the characters in the first book.
Thoughts
My overall thoughts on the story is that it is one of the best versions of an Angel story out there. I think there is more to it than just the love triangle, even though that is in the forefront of what is happening. If you look beyond that you will see each character’s experiences and growth. This is not just a story about Clara and who she is going to choose. It’s a story about a family, albeit not a normal family, but nonetheless one that focuses on living life for the better and making those decisions that influence all of them – not just selfish ones. There is is a very sad tone to this part of the story, it was very well written and something that I did not see coming. I really enjoy the fact that I got something little deeper, even though it did break my heart.
Quotes
“There’s nothing more inspiring than the complexity and beauty of the human heart.”
“I’ve learned that a storm isn’t always just bad weather, and a fire can be the start of something. I’ve found out that there are a lot more shades of gray in this world than I ever knew about. I’ve learned that sometimes, when you´re afraid but you keep on moving forward, that’s the biggest kind of courage there is. And finally, I’ve learned that life isn’t really about failure and success. It’s about being present, in the moment when big things happen, when everything changes, including myself.”
Howdy Ya’ll!
Welcome to another one of my reviews. Todays book is A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford. It’s the second book in the A Touch Trilogy. Even though the copy I had was a ARC for a book tour I was participating in, A Touch Morbid has already hit the shelves so anyone can go out to the store and pick up their own.
I hadn’t really noticed it before, but I’ve really been into paranormal – especially angel books! I’m not sure why, ut I’m pulled and attracted to them. A Touch Morbid is the book that got me into this phase!
Leah Clifford does an amazing job re-introducing all of the characters in the second book. If it’s been a while since you’ve read the first book, don’t worry, it’ll only take a few pages to get back into it. And only a few more pages before it has your attention tightly wrapped around its finger. I honestly couldn’t put A Touch Morbid down (bad idea, when laying out in the sun reading! Leads to serious sunburns! *Warning*).
There’s is a lot going on in A Touch Morbid, which can be a bit overwhelming (I had to take my time and read some parts more slowly, so I could fully understand what was going on). While Kristen is trying her best to find Gabe and not sure if she can trust Luke or not, Eden wants to save Gabe and keep their group together and safe. Jarrod wants to help a human girl who is addicted to Touch, and soon has feelings for her, and then there’s Az who just wants Eden to be happy even if it means he has to make a huge sacrifice.
A Touch Morbid, wasn’t really what I was expected! From the cover, I got a whole different vibe than what the story was actually about. But after reading the story, and LOVING it, I understand what the cover means and how it connects with the story line. If you haven’t read this book or A Touch Mortal, you really need to go out right now and get it, before I hunt you down (I swear I will!). I can’t wait to read and see what the cover of the third and last instalment of the trilogy will look like 🙂
Lisa
