Alone / Richard E. Byrd 305 p.

Admiral Richard E. Byrd elects to man a hut alone deep in the Antarctic where he will gather weather data for the 6 months of winter in 1934 and gets the greatest challenge of his career, the monumental struggle to survive carbon monoxide poisoning and retain his sanity-- all kept a secret from his base camp staff.

First person narrative, intricate details, true, nonfiction, adventure writing, historical writing, and journalistic.

Continents Books: Antarctica

Ines of My Soul / Isabel Allende 321 p.

Learning of the death of her husband after she arrives in South America, Inés Suárez begins a fiery love affair with Pedro de Valdivia, field marshal to Francisco Pizarro as the Spanish of the 17th century conquer the native Indians and settle Chile.

Appeal factors: historical fiction, character-driven, realistic portrayal principal characters, strong sense of place, romantic, slow paced, first person narrative, and disturbing (for treatment of native population).
Continents Books: South America
Australian Book Industry Awards: Book of the Year

Some Kind of Peace/Camilla Grebe & Asa Traff/315 pgs.

This book is the American debut for Swedish sisters Camilla Grebe an Asa Traff. What I didn't realize was that it is also the first book in a series. Strange events begin happening to Siri Bergman, a 34 year old psychologist, who shares a practice in Stockholm with her best friend, Aina Davidson, and Sven Widelius. The story is told in Siri's voice, and in the voice of her enemy. The authors have created a psychological thriller that leaves the reader with an uncomfortable feeling throughout the book--on several levels. There is a melancholy tone to the book; I'm not sure exactly how I feel about this book. I will probably read the next in the series just to see where the authors go with their main character.

People of the Book / Geraldine Brooks 372 p.

While conserving the famous illuminated Sarajevo Haggada, Australian rare book expert, Hanna Heath, finds tiny artifacts that drive her to trace the book’s journey from its recent salvation in war torn Sarajevo, hidden by a Muslim from the Nazis, nearly destroyed by Catholics during the Inquisition-era in Venice, and to the woman illuminator in 1480’s in Seville.

Narrative, based on a true story, moving, richly detailed, historical fiction, first person narrative, character driven, intricately plotted, and Austrialian fiction.

Continents Books: Australia
Award Winner

Zookeeper's Wife / Diane Ackerman 376 p.

Naturalist Diane Ackerman begins with a lovely description of the pre-war Warsaw Zoo. Jan and Antonina Zabinski were Polish Christian zookeepers horrified by the Nazi who work to extinguish the lives of all in power, teachers, priests, along with the Jews. Throughout the war, Antonina records in her diary the destruction of Warsaw and their zoo. Of the aftermath of the Gestapo New Year’s Hunt, sponsored by Lutz Heck, the zoo director of the Berlin Zoo, of zoo animals (penned or caged), she wrote:

“In the cold blue evening light sunset was playing funeral bells
for our just buried animals.”

Director Heck “borrowed” his favorites for a project where he would breed back lost and extinct animals.

The Polish citizens were to be decimated along with the Jews. With the converting of the zoo to a pig farm the Zabinski found an official sanctioned purpose as the Nazis loved pork. There, they preserved some of the remaining animals, saved Jews, and continued resistance work. Jan, personally, brought out Jews from the ghetto using loosely guarded gate. For the safety of the cell, resistors were known by a code name—Jan’s was Francis from Francis of Assisi. Hidden people had animal names and pet animals, humans. The villa cryptic name was “The House Under a Crazy Star”.

Where to hide the Guests, Jan and Antonina hide the Jews in their villa—in plain sight. They orchestrated visits from family and friends to conceal the Jews-- Jews who were awaiting forged papers and a place outside the ghetto. Others were hidden in the empty zoo cages. Jan did even more; he buried an ammo depot near a German warehouse. He was an officer in the Polish resistance. Through his connections as the zoo director and naturalist he sought to save what he could. When Dr. Szymon Tenebaum was moved into the Warsaw Ghetto, Jan stored his mammoth beetle collection (half-million plus specimens--a collection still in existence today). Even their son was involved. He carried food to the Guests in the animal cages. Being a naturalist, Ackerman marvelously describes specimens from his collection.

Over the years of German occupation, the Zabinskis, saved over 300 people. With Germans and Poles almost continuously around their home, they never stopped. Ackerman weaves in local happenings, natural history, and animal behavior as well as Naturalist Diane Ackerman begins with a lovely description of the pre-war Warsaw Zoo. Jan and Antonina Zabinski were Polish Christian zookeepers horrified by the Nazi who work to extinguish the lives of all in power, teachers, priests, along with the Jews. Throughout the war, Antonina records in her diary the destruction of Warsaw and their zoo. Of the aftermath of the Gestapo New Year’s Hunt, sponsored by Lutz Heck, the zoo director of the Berlin Zoo, of zoo animals (penned or caged), she wrote:

“In the cold blue evening light sunset was playing funeral bells for our just buried animals.”

Heck director “borrowed” his favorites for a project where he would breed back lost and extinct animals.

The Polish citizens were to be decimated along with the Jews. With the converting of the zoo to a pig farm the Zabinski found an official sanctioned purpose as the Nazis loved pork. Thus, they preserved some of the remaining animals, saved over three hundred Jews, and continued resistance work. For the safety of the cell, resistors were known by a code name—Jan’s was Francis from Francis of Assisi. Hidden people had animal names and pet animals, humans. The villa cryptic name was “The House Under a Crazy Star”.

Where to hide the Guests, Jan and Antonina hide the Jews in their villa—in plain sight. They orchestrated visits from family and friends to conceal the Jews-- Jews who were awaiting forged papers and a place outside the ghetto. Others were hidden in the empty zoo cages. Jan did even more; he buried an ammo depot near a German warehouse. He was an officer in the Polish resistance. Through his connections as the zoo director and naturalist he sought to save what he could. When Dr. Szymon Tenebaum was moved into the Warsaw Ghetto, Jan stored his mammoth beetle collection (half-million plus specimens). Being a naturalist, Ackerman marvelously describes specimens from his collection.

Over the years of German occupation, the Zabinskis, saved over 300 people. With Germans and Poles almost continuously around their home, they never stopped. Ackerman weaves in local happenings, natural history, and animal behavior as she presents a couple who heroism has fallen through the cracks. One must marvel at what they accomplished. Antonina's journaling showed how they faced death without becoming bitter. After the war, Guests called the microcosm of safety the Zabinskis created an Ark. One is in awe of two people who "were just doing their duty".

First person narrative, richly detailed, biography, autobiography, journalistic, intricately plotted, sobering, and strong sense of place.

Continents book--Europe
Award winner

Point to Point Navigation / Gore Vidal 277 p.

Gore Vidal presents a sequel to his popular memoir Palimpsest for the years 1964-2006. In the Navy during World War II, Vidal used point to point navigation when compasses failed. And this memoir went from interesting point to another, not necessarily in chronological order. A fascinating self-portrait of a writer whose knew such luminaries as JFK, Tennessee Williams, Eleanor Roosevelt, Orson Welles, Greta Garbo, and others. He mastered not only historical writing but also screenwriting and novels. He enjoyed talking politics. His politics may have been influenced by his grandfather, Senator Thomas Gore. The senator was blind so Gore read for him. His father established 3 airlines; one with Amelia Earhart. So he knew many people. The account of the death of his long time companion Howard Austen is particularly moving. Johnny Carson seemed to hit it off--they laughed at the same things. Some labeled him a political and literary troublemaker.

I went for something very different from my normal readings for this selection for my North America Continent entry.