With Hitler to the End: The Memoirs of Adolf Hitler's Valet by Heinz Linge
My rating: 5 of 5 bookmarks

Heinz Linge recounts a riveting and detailed narrative of day to day life with Adolf Hitler. As a member of Hitler's personal staff, he was one of the few who was with him nearly every single day for many years, thus he offers a unique perspective into the man, Adolf Hitler. Linge shares little details about the dictator such as his love for his dog, Blondi, which really brings out the human side of Hitler.

With Hitler to the End is well written and is an easy read. Although one thing which was just a bit confusing to me was that while for the most part, the narrative is told chronologically, on several occasions, Linge drops in an anecdote which is out of sequence. Also, I was a bit surprised by his obvious admiration of Hitler even decades after the events, knowing the full scope of what Hitler was responsible for; which he insists he had no knowledge of at the time of his service to the dictator. Linge also claims that he was personally apolitical and had never even read Mein Kampf.

The most surprising thing to me, and that which left the biggest impression on my mind, is Hitler's staunch belief that he was acting under the direction of Providence. This conviction was apparently not simply propaganda to instill confidence in the German people, but according to Linge, these sentiments were oft expressed by Hitler behind closed doors in conversations with only his closest circle of confidantes; Linge included. I found it so fascinating, and frankly, chilling, that one could be perpetrating some of the most heinous acts in history and yet still believe that they are doing what is right.

Heinz Linge, 1935 Image Credit: Wikimedia

Linge writes very matter-of-factly about everything (he does not address the concentration camps or the like except to denounce any knowledge of them) and in an almost conversational tone which is very easy to follow and which makes his account very believable. Several times he refutes claims and disputes facts made by others who were close to Hitler, insisting that he was at Hitler's side day and night for over a decade and therefore observed more than others and knew the dictator more closely than anyone other than Eva Braun (Hitler's longtime mistress). Whether or not his version of the facts is indeed accurate we will probably never know.

Even though I knew beforehand how the story ends I found myself so engrossed in the book during the latter pages that I couldn't put it down until I'd finished. The details of the final days in the bunker are so gripping, and even heartbreaking in the case of an incident with the children of one of Hitler's ministers, that you can almost feel the tension that Linge describes.

Through this book, you get an inside look at the victories and defeats of the Third Reich as Linge recounts visits to the front, meetings with Mussolini, confidential strategy meetings with top military and Nazi Party officials and even more mundane things such as Hitler's failing health, his diet and seating preferences at dinners. I think Linge's remark that "I had a theatre-box on history, and remained in it until it collapsed..." is an accurate sentiment that reflects the tone of the book. I think those interested in history, especially World War II history, will find With Hitler to the End to be a worthwhile read.

NOTE: There are a couple instances of strong language when Linge cites a direct quotation and there are occasions where he recalls examples of a crass line of questioning that the Russians put him through during his imprisonment. Because of these examples and the general subject matter of this story, I recommend this book for adults only.

“A mind, like a home, is furnished by its owner, so if one's life is cold and bare he can blame none but himself. You have a chance to select from pretty elegant furnishings.”

Risen by Angela Hunt is a novelization of the motion picture of the same name. We review this historical fiction book which presents the story of Christ's resurrection in a unique way. Also in this episode is Nicole's Fact about the importance of a good title and JD's Tip about a clever way to read and work at the same time. Nicole kicks things off with an interesting story about the bookwormy, Welsh town called Hay-on-Wye.

The Appetizer

The "Town of Books" in Wales

The Review

Risen by Angela Hunt
Purchase Risen: The Novelization of the Major Motion Picture on Amazon

Angela Hunt's Website

Author Angela Hunt

    JD's Rating: 3.5 out of 5








Nicole's Rating: 5 out of 5

Nicole’s Bookworm Fact

will ask the question, What’s in a Title?
Full Story
Fahrenheit 451: A Novel by Ray Bradbury

JD's Bookworm Tip

...is a tool for holding your book open so you can multitask and read.


Today’s episode is brought to you by Adagio Teas. To find out more, can click the banner in the sidebar on our website.

Get in touch with us!
Email: feedback@bookwormbanquet.com
Feedback Line (text or voice): 623-688-2770

Don't forget to subscribe to the show!

“Chasing Secrets” begins with Ian Burke being informed that the granddaughter he thought was killed in a bus explosion twenty-five years before was actually not on the bus. He has long mourned the death of his only son and his son’s family, a presumed mafia hit, and he is instantly determined to find his long-lost Aileen and bring her back home.

Unbeknownst to him, Haley Callaghan, a member of the Elite Guardians team, is going about her business as a bodyguard for others in danger. She has noticed recently that she has gained a shadow, but assumes it is from her regular work. One night, though, the shadow turns deadly. After an attempt on her life that leaves her with stitches, newly transferred Detective Steven Rothwell is eager to help protect her, whoever happens to be after her.

Eason’s style is engaging and easy to read. The pages practically turn themselves in this fast-paced thriller. I’ve been enjoying the entire Elite Guardians series, but I think I enjoyed this one most. I liked the glimpses of Haley in the earlier books, and I have been looking forward to her story all along. I was most definitely not disappointed in reading it. She is a strong and admirable heroine, and I especially enjoyed her interactions with Zeke and his family.

Though it is the last of the series, and each one features a different one of the women in the Elite Guardians, it can be read as a stand-alone without confusion. Highly recommended!


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Bookmarks




Hannah Gridley has been a dedicated bookworm since the age of 4.  By day she works for a local nonprofit; in her spare time she works in a bookstore, teaches music, plays violin in two local orchestra groups and in her church, and enjoys hiking.  Favorite reading genres include Christian, historical fiction, suspense, and vintage/classic novels.  When she isn't working, writing, or reading, she spends money adding books to her home library or collecting fountain pens and fancy inks.

"This book would be a lovely and enjoyable addition to anyone’s Historical Fiction shelf."

The Return by Suzanne Woods Fisher
My rating: 4 out of 5 Bookmarks

Synopsis

Beautiful and winsome, Betsy Zook never questioned her family's rigid expectations, nor those of devoted Hans, but then she never had to. Not until the night when she's taken captive in a surprise Indian raid. During her captivity, Betsy faces brutality and hardship, but also unexpected kindness. She draws strength from native Caleb, who encourages her to find God in all circumstances. She finds herself torn between her pious upbringing and the intense new feelings this compelling man awakens within her.

Handsome and complex, Hans is greatly anguished by Betsy's captivity and turns to Tessa Bauer for comfort. Eagerly, Tessa responds, overlooking troubling signs of Hans's hunger for revenge. When Betsy is finally restored to the Amish, have things gone too far between Hans and Tessa?

Inspired by true events, this deeply layered novel gives a glimpse into the tumultuous days of pre-revolutionary Pennsylvania through the eyes of two young, determined, and faith-filled women.

Overall

I found the book incredibly insightful into a time that isn’t often written about. I rarely see pre-revolutionary war stories these days. And with the Amish and Mennonite hints interwoven, it made this story quite interesting.

Characters

The people in this book are well crafted, interesting, and make the reader sympathetic to them. I found myself rooting for some of the characters; Betsy, Caleb, and Tessa mostly. There was one particular character I wanted to hit over the head, but such is the life of a reader. Uncle Felix was probably my favorite. The cast is rather large and considering that the story point of view switches between upwards of 4 or more characters over the course of the book, Fisher did an amazing job of keeping each of them distinct and easily relatable. The characters also have a very satisfying arc throughout the story. None of them felt unfinished at the end of the book, which I greatly appreciated.

Plot

I very rarely felt bored while reading this book. It was quite intriguing without being incredibly suspenseful. And while there was suspense, I didn’t find it overdone. With the heaviness of the subject matter, I found that the author balanced the feel of the story by keeping the humor alive and making parts of the narrative entertaining and even sad at times.

Setting

The story setting is richly depicted. With a pre-revolutionary war frontier, and the issues of land ownership, the settlers against the Indians, I found it very fascinating and educating, all while still being entertaining. I learned a lot about that time period and the struggles that were ever-present.

Message

Multiple messages abound throughout the tale; the message of trusting the Lord even when bad things happen being the most prevalent. All things work for good to those that love Him. Forgiveness, jealousy, anger, revenge, and bigotry are also major themes. I found that the author did an impressive job of weaving messages of hope and truth into the tumultuous lives of her characters.

Quibbles & Content

The content was a little violent at times and some of the story I found quite depressing. The number of people who died and the massacres that took place were so shocking and overwhelming. I can’t really blame the author, however, as it was real life and truly did happen. I just want the reader to be aware, especially if a family or children are going to be reading it. I would recommend this book for ages 14+ due to some violence and descriptions thereof, as well as some other somewhat mature, though not graphic, themes.

Final Thoughts

This book would be a lovely and enjoyable addition to anyone’s Historical Fiction shelf. The story and messages within are enjoyable, entertaining and educational. I even think The Return could make a great family read aloud and could prompt some discussions. I found that some of the character's struggles transcended time and could be issues that people of today will find relatable.






Victoria Lynn is a “Jane of all trades” who seeks to master them. She runs several small businesses and is the girl behind the blog, Ruffles and Grace. She is an Indie Author with a passion for literature and the written word. 
She lives in the glorious state of many lakes, Michigan, with her parents and eight siblings. She devours books and likes to say that if she could get paid for every book she has read, she would be a millionaire. Some of her favorite things to do include writing fiction, learning new things, acting, creating something with her hands and playing the piano or singing. She also is one of the founders of Ichthus Family Productions and seeks to honor the Lord in all that she does. 



Disclosure: We were provided a review copy of this book by the publisher at no cost. This post contains affiliate links.

Anytime I stop in at a thrift store, regardless of what I may have been looking for, I always visit the book section. As a fellow bookworm, I'm sure you can relate. Today was no exception.

After getting nearly all of my library cataloged in LibraryThing recently, I can now refer to it via their smartphone app while looking over the shelves in the store to confirm if I have a book or not. Having passed the 600 volume mark entered into the site, I now have around 90% of my books accounted for. I have also gone through and tagged volumes that I need to replace for various reasons so I can keep an eye out for them.

As I perused the books in the second-hand store, I was especially looking for hardcover volumes. And I was not disappointed! I found six hardbound books and also a 6-volume boxed set of paperbacks. All for $11!

Here are today's finds:

The Inspirational Writings of C.S. Lewis: Surprised by Joy, Reflections on the Psalms, The Four Loves, The Business of Heaven
by C.S. Lewis

I've been wanting to get into Lewis's nonfiction writings so it was a great treat to find this volume!


Great Expectations
by Charles Dickens
I already owned a mass market paperback edition published by Bantam, which is in fairly good condition, but I couldn't pass up this nice B&N Classics edition. (Amazon didn't have this volume so the link is to all hardcovers of this book.)


Go Set a Watchman
by Harper Lee

Another book I've been wanting to read. I almost picked this one at full retail a couple weeks ago but decided to hold off. Great find!


The Christmas Sweater
by Glenn Beck

I already owned this poignant Christmas story, but I loaned it to co-host Nicole and haven't seen it since. (Yep. Throwin' you under the bus, Nicki! lol) It was only a buck fifty so I figured it was a good time to grab another copy.


God's Smuggler
by Brother Andrew

I already have this in paperback, but it was on my "to replace" list as it was falling apart. The hardcover I found today is in great shape although it is missing the dust jacket. Ah well. Can't win every time.


Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer

I read this book several years ago on loan from a family member and really enjoyed it. I own a couple other books by Krakauer and love his writing so I thought I'd grab this one for a re-read. Note: There is some strong language in this true account of a terrible disaster on Mt. Everest.


Left Behind: The Kids Book Series (Books 1-6 Boxed Set)
by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye

I read these books as a teen and really enjoyed them. I also listened to the audio dramatizations and loved them. I have no idea what happened to both the books and CDs so for $2 for the first 6 books in the series I couldn't say no.



Did you strike gold on your last thrift shop or used bookstore visit? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
My rating: 4 of 5 bookmarks

First published in 1938, this first book in C.S. Lewis's critically acclaimed space trilogy begins with a very intriguing scene that grabbed my attention immediately. I remained engrossed for the first several chapters and indeed for most of the book, although there were a few times in the middle that the story seemed to lag a little bit. This is by no means a fast-paced, action-packed read that one might expect from a science fiction novel. While it contains many of the trappings of a typical sci-fi story, such as spaceships, interplanetary travel, and aliens, this narrative comes at the genre from a much more cerebral and philosophical approach. It does not contain the characteristic space gadgets and weaponry, nor is it set in a futuristic world. It is altogether a very atypical science fiction story.

The characters are interesting and well-developed. Even the alien races are fascinating and have very distinct characteristics. The protagonist, Dr. Ransom, is a likable fellow and in many cases, I found myself relating to his feelings.

Dr. Ransom is a philologist and is therefore quite interested in the speech and language of the inhabitants of the planet Malacandra. While Lewis doesn’t dedicate large sections of the text to the language topic, he does make an effort to explain some of the vocabulary and rules of grammar of the Malacandrian speech. He doesn’t go nearly as in-depth as Tolkien did with his languages of Middle Earth, however. And though some may find this dull reading, I found it rather interesting.

C.S. Lewis also gives very detailed descriptions of the landscapes and scenery, as well as the flora and fauna of Malacandra. These descriptions are vivid and he often uses comparisons to known objects on Earth in an effort to clarify for the reader. He also often makes reference to the natural laws, weather, gravitational pull and other fundamentals of life on the planet. For example, here is a description of the behavior of water on Malacandra: “...broken and swirling water that made a softer and more hissing sound than water on Earth...there was a bubbling and sparkling which suggested effervescence.” As with the language subject mentioned above, I didn’t find these details too cumbersome, though I can understand how some readers might. To me, all of the minutiae just helped to make the world that much more real and believable.

By Source, Fair use, Link

Fans of the Narnia stories may expect Out of the Silent Planet to have the same sort of allegorical themes as they do, but that is not the case. There are some correlations to Biblical principles that one may draw, but they are much more veiled than those found in Narnia and even the few connections I made were very tenuous and may prove incorrect as I move on to the next books in the trilogy. While I make no claims to being any sort of scholar of Lewis’s works, I didn’t find nearly the insight that I thought I might from one of his stories, but perhaps it will take a few reads to really let it all soak in.

As an example of the philosophical approach of this story, here is one of my favorite passages from the book in which Dr. Ransom has just observed a spectacular scene unfolding before him, which I will not spoil here. The following is his reaction: “To every man, in his acquaintance with a new art, there comes a moment when that which before was meaningless first lifts, as it were, one corner of the curtain that hides its mystery, and reveals, in a burst of delight which later and fuller understanding can hardly ever equal, one glimpse of the indefinite possibilities within.” Not your typical sci-fi fare, to be sure, but I found it so poetic and a testament to the skill with which Lewis writes.

While I really enjoyed this book, and will definitely continue the series and will most likely re-read this at some point, it does move slowly. There was also, to my dismay, several (at least half a dozen) instances of mild cursing throughout the book. For these reasons, I would recommend Out of the Silent Planet for older teens and up. It truly is a good space story without all the ray-guns, blasters, phasers, lasers and the other stereotypical elements of the genre. It is a story based on characters interacting with a world much different from their own and it was a pleasure to accompany them on the journey.

The Good Master by Kate Seredy
My rating: 5 of 5 bookmarks

This is a delightful, heartwarming story that is aimed at the 8-12 age demographic, but even teenagers and adults can enjoy the great storytelling. The characters are vivid and lifelike; Jancsi, Kate and Márton, in particular, I found to be very relatable. Coming at this book from an adult's point of view, I found that the characters have layers to them that are more than meets the eye. But Seredy keeps the complexity of the personalities as a sort of undercurrent to the story so that while young children may not pick up on it and can still enjoy the story at face value, an adult can appreciate the characters on a deeper level.

While there are a few moments of drama, for the most part, it is a tale of everyday life in the rural plains of Hungary in the early 1900's, prior to World War I. The country life is presented in an almost idealized manner, but is tempered slightly by a few instances of challenges and minor hardship. There are moments of warm family times, life lessons that the children learn and scenes described that are outright humorous.

One particularly poignant scene that I loved was when the priest was commending Jancsi for his bravery during an incident. The exchange was as follows:

Jancsi: "...I was not brave. I was just about scared to death."
The Priest: "That's just why I call you brave. The best of us are 'scared to death' when we are in danger. But only the courageous stay and fight."

Kate Seredy does a great job of keeping the narrative flowing, with each chapter segmented almost like a snapshot of each individual event in the full story. It would seem that she also has a partiality for folktales and fables as there are several instances of older characters recounting such stories to Jancsi and Kate, which while it was a bit different I didn't find it a negative. Seredy also illustrated the edition I have (I believe all authorized volumes include her illustrations) and I found the art to be a wonderful addition to the story.

By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35723978

The book, which is loosely based on Seredy's childhood, was published in 1935 and received a Newbery Honor medal the following year. I recommend this for the original target age of 8-12 and I also think that it can be enjoyed by all ages. There is nothing in terms of content that I found to be objectionable. Although I think it worth mentioning that there is a very stereotypical representation of a gypsy clan in the story that some might not appreciate. Also worth mentioning is that the legend of Santa Claus is thoroughly invalidated in the latter half of the book, so if you, as a parent, wish to preserve your child's belief in the jolly ol' fellow then you may wish to skip this book. Otherwise, it is a very fun and engaging tale that I think families will love.



Interesting Note: While born and raised in Hungary, Seredy didn't begin publishing her writing until she immigrated to the United States. All of her books were written in English and even though The Good Master and its sequel are very much about Hungarian culture, neither were ever translated into Hungarian, according to Wikipedia.

In this episode we review the Dreamhouse Kings series by Robert Liparulo. This Young Adult fiction series of six books is an engaging and spine-tingling read that we heartily recommend. Also in this episode is Nicole's Fact about a writer who changes his name and JD's Tip about a fabulous way to keep track of your personal or small organization's library.


Download Episode 12

The Appetizer

The world's only library to operate in two countries simultaneously.

The Review

Dreamhouse Kings Series by Robert Liparulo
BOOK 1 - House of Dark Shadows (Amazon link)
BOOK 2 - Watcher in the Woods (Amazon link)
BOOK 3 - Gatekeepers (Amazon link)
BOOK 4 - Timescape (Amazon link)
BOOK 5 - Whirlwind (Amazon link)
BOOK 6 - Frenzy (Amazon link)

Robert Liparulo's website
Dreamhouse Kings website

Robert Liparulo

Composer Jonathan Maiocco wrote some beautiful music inspired by Dreamhouse Kings.
Check out his pieces on the soundtrack page of Dreamhouse Kings website. Also check out his instrumental albums on your favorite digital music outlet.

He had this to say about the composition below:
"I read Book 1 of the series and thought, 'Whoa, I can totally hear the music!' So, with all the horror and suspense of the story in mind, I composed “House of Dark Shadows” as what I though of as the “main theme” of the series."




JD's Rating: 4 out of 5







Nicole's Rating: 4 out of 5

Nicole’s Bookworm Fact

...is about a writer who changes his name.
Full Story

JD's Bookworm Tip

...is TinyCat; which is the online catalog for small libraries, created by LibraryThing. It turns your existing LibraryThing account into a simple, professional, web-based catalog.


Today’s episode is brought to you by Adagio teas. Adagio is the premiere source for loose leaf teas on the internet. Check out the Bookworm Banquet tea blend.

Get in touch with us!
Email: feedback@bookwormbanquet.com
Feedback Line (text or voice): 623-688-2770

Don't forget to subscribe to the show!

I was invited to participate in a reading challenge this summer by a member of the Porchlight Family Media podcast community. She was moderating the challenge on the Goodreads website so I took a look at the criteria and decided to join. I have been wanting to read more lately and this was the perfect excuse/reason to do so.

8 of the books I'm reading for the challenge

The challenge is to read 10 books over the summer from 10 different categories. Also you must read through the categories in the order they were outlined by the challenge moderator. I like the idea of choosing different books across the various categories and having to read in order; it makes the challenge more fun and interesting.

Here are the categories:

1. A classic
2. A fantasy/sci-fi
3. A contemporary fiction
4. An indie published book
5. A non-fiction
6. A book set between 1901 and 2000
7. A book set between 1801 and 1900
8. A book set between 1701 and 1800
9. A book set between 1601 and 1700
10. A book set between 1501 and 1600

Since the books don't have to be ones that I haven't read before, I decided to re-read a few that I haven't read in quite a while and mix in some new reads as well. Another approach I took was to use books that I already own for as many of the categories as possible. I was able to select 8 of the 10 books from my personal library.

Here are the books I chose for each category:

1. A classic: The Good Master by Kate Seredy
2. A fantasy/sci-fi: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
3. A contemporary: Deadfall by Robert Liparulo
4. An indie published book: Dead Broke by Bruce A. Borders
5. A non-fiction: Lessons My Father Taught Me by Michael Reagan
6. A book set between 1901 and 2000: The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy
7. A book set between 1801 and 1900: Destry Rides Again by Max Brand
8. A book set between 1701 and 1800: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
9. A book set between 1601 and 1700: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
10. A book set between 1501 and 1600: The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

My selection for the "Indie" category is a Kindle E-Book that I've had in my Kindle account for awhile, but haven't got around to reading yet. Also my selection for the "1601-1700" category is not a book I owned and was a result of some recommendations from other challenge participants. So I checked out the audiobook version of that one from my library via OverDrive.

So what do you think about reading challenges? Are you participating in any? Or would you like to come along on this one? Let's read some great books this summer!


[If you want to join the challenge I'm participating in on Goodreads, click here. Or you can just use the categories above and go along with me.]

Untold Tales Of Bigfoot: Crossing Paths by Vince Dorse
My rating: 5 of 5 bookmarks

I love me a good, clean comic book or graphic novel and that is exactly what we get with this compilation volume of the webcomic, Untold Tales of Bigfoot. Dorse tells a fun adventure story with stunning artwork and lovable characters.

The book offers a fresh take on the Bigfoot/Sasquatch question, but it is done in such a way that it doesn't matter if you believe in the creature or if you think it's a load of hogwash, you can still enjoy this fun story. An interesting thing about this book also is that the humans, while still part of the story, are not the main characters, but rather the author focuses on an adorable little dog named Scout and, of course, Bigfoot. By the end of the book, you'll find yourself actually caring about this creature! :)

(Click the image to enlarge)

As mentioned above, the illustrations are absolutely fantastic. While this book is a compilation of panels from the original webcomic, Dorse added new panels, re-worked others and in general just enhanced the story for this publication.

I'm not entirely sure what the target age demographic is for the book, but I'll just say that I (a 30+ year old) thoroughly enjoyed it as did my 4-year-old nephew. It's just a delightful read that I recommend if you enjoy comics. And apparently I'm not alone; in Spring 2017 the book was awarded the Bronze Medal in the 2017 Independent Publisher Book Awards in the category of Graphic Novel/Humor. So go pick up a copy. You'll be glad you did.

The Faded Flower by Paul McCusker
JD's rating: 4 of 5 bookmarks

This is a really fantastic story that on the surface explores the challenges facing a family with a loved one suffering from dementia. Even though the setting itself is a bit dated, the family dynamics are very real and believable and I had no trouble overlooking some of the outdated references. The characters are well developed and many of them are dealing with real-life issues that really ring true.

While there are a few moments when things are a bit predictable, the plot, for the most part, flows nicely with a few little surprises. Despite his obvious flaws, I found myself really relating to Frank, the main character, in several ways and rooting for him the way a good story makes you want to do.

The final pages of the book are very touching and wrap up the tale with a very satisfying ending. McCusker has spun a story full of likable characters and lots of heart that will leave you with a new appreciation for life and the ones you spend it with.