Book Review: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

 Title: The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Author: Heather Morris

Series/Standalone: The Tattooist of Auschwitz Series

Genre: Historical Fiction, Adult, Romance

Pages: 262

Publisher: Harper

Year Published: 2018

Format: Paperback Copy (Own It)

First Line: "Lale tries not to look up."

"This beautiful, illuminating tale of hope and courage is based on interviews that were conducted with Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov- an unforgettable love story in the midst of atrocity.

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tatowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism- but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, Prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in the first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her. 

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful recreation of Lale and Sokolov's experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions.

My Rating: 5/5

I have a bit of trouble rating things that are based on true stories so let me explain this star rating a little bit. I think that this book is so unique for a book based during the Holocaust and especially in Auschwitz-Birkenau. I think that while you're reading you are interested in what's going around Lale, but you're also interested in the romance and survival. I felt that the horrors in this book were placed in an interesting way. You would be reading and feeling a certain way about the two main characters and then you'd be reminded once again of what they are struggling to survive through, or what they are witnessing every day. I am interested in reading about Cilka and her life in the companion to this book, as you're not sure until the end of this book how some things play out (and even then not fully). I would recommend to anyone interested in historical fiction or biographies (as it is based on a true story). 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny

Book Review: Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Title: Shatter Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Series/Standalone: Shatter Me (Book #1)
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopia, Romance
Pages: 338
Publisher: Harper
Year Published: 2011
Format: Hardcover Physical Copy (Own It)
First Line: "I've been locked up for 264 days."

"I have a curse.
I have a gift

I am a monster.
I'm more than human.

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back.

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that survivors are whispering war- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior."

My Rating: 4.5/5

So this was a book a pulled out of my most anticipated reads tbr jar and I'm glad that it didn't disappoint. This first installment did such a wonderful job of setting up the world, introducing the characters and starting us on what appears to be an action packed adventure. Tahereh Mafi's writing style is beautiful and flowing, but still manages to shock the reader with the idea of this dystopian world. Based on other's opinions of the third book in this series (did you guys know we're expecting 3 more), I'm curious to see how the writing changes and how the story unfolds. I can't wait to get to the rest of the series and hope to order the rest of the books soon.

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Spoiler: Shatter Me by Taereh Mafi

So as per usual I'm the last one on the hype train, and at this point maybe the only one. But hot damn this was a really fun read. I caught myself remembering how I started reading dystopian and how much I enjoyed them Tahereh Mafi's writing style is so lyrical and beautiful but also gets the reader to the point. I think that the way the main characters thoughts are crossed out throughout this book is also an interesting aspect and I wonder where this will take us in the upcoming novels. I know that people either really love this series or they really hate it and that makes me nervous, but it's also nerve wracking that I thought this series was over but apparently 3 more books are coming out. I'm not panicking at all. 

Characters:
Juliette: She is an interesting main character to hear from someone who has been in captivity while the world has literally fallen apart around her. For her to remember the world as we know it and see it go to shit so quickly.  She also has the interesting experience of neglect based on "what" she is. To see her able to touch another person was amazing, but to quickly realise that she could touch both Warner and Adam made me worried. Also what else is she capable of. Anyone else get Rogue from X-Men vibes.

Adam: Am I the only one who has read this first book and thought that this guy was too good to be true? I understand that they knew each other in the past, but they never even spoke. It doesn't make sense to me how they can feel so much for each other in such a short amount of time. Especially under such crazy circumstances.

Warner: He's also crazy, but like in the need to be locked up for stalking kind of way. Too freaking bad The Reestablishment is for in the most part in control. I wonder how he will hold on to power after he loses Juliette and what will happen to him once his father finds out. Also what is his past like? Is that what the novellas are about? Ugh so many questions, not yet enough cash to purchase the books.

James: This kid has seen too damn much for his tender young age of 10. And if Adam's power is to not be influenced by Juliette's touch does that mean that James has a power. I wonder how his life in the Omega Compound will change in comparison to what he's known.

Kenji: Who the hell is this guy? And I'm also getting super Red Queen vibes so that means my favorite series might have borrowed this, which was to be expected but also is helping me to enjoy this story line with powers even more.


Moments to Remember:
Final Line: "I'm ready."

Thanks for reading,
Sidny

Book Review: PS I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

Title: P.S. I Love You

Author: Cecelia Ahern

Series/Novel: Novel

Genre: Chick Lit, Romance, Adult Fiction

Pages: 503

Publisher: Hachette Books

Year Published: 2003

First Line: “Holly held the blue cotton sweater to her face and the familiar smell immediately struck her, an overwhelming grief knotting her stomach and pulling at her heart.”

“Some people wait their whole lives to find their soul mates. But not Holly and Gerry.

They were childhood sweethearts- no one could imagine Holly and Gerry without each other.

Until the unthinkable happens. Gerry’s death devastates Holly. But as her 30th birthday looms Holly discovers that Gerry has left her a bundle of notes, gently guiding her into her new life without him, each signed ‘PS, I Love You’.

With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly finds herself laughing, crying, singing, dancing- and being braver than ever before.

Life is for the living, she realises- but it always helps if there’s an angel watching over you.”

My Rating: 4/5

So I'm a little behind on the times, that's not terribly new. But after an emotional week I decided it was time to get my emotion out with a book, and it proved to be helpful. PS. I Love You follows the emotional story of Holly who has recently lost her dear husband of 7 years and the love of her life for the past 15. This story follows how she copes through her loss with a hilarious group of characters, a crazy city and an even crazier family Holly begins to find her way through her new life.

I grew very fond of Holly. She's a wise woman who I'm assuming many of us can relate to. She's an honest, brave and friendly person who does more than many would given her circumstances.

Obviously she goes through her grief that one would naturally expect after loosing one that she truly cared about. This book is a reminder about what it is to truly love and loose. Is it sad? Of course it is. But it’s so much more than that, it incompases a love that can survive death. A true love.

THANK YOU CECELIA AHERN FOR A LOVE THAT OUTLASTS DEATH!

Thanks For Reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo

Spoiler: P.S I Love You by Cecelia Ahern

This was an interesting book that I didn’t expect to hold me captive the whole 500+ pages but it did it’s job. I was entertained, made to feel so many emotions and encouraged through this book. This book entertained me through the side characters. The things that they came up with made me think of some people I’ve meet the past two years and how they react to certain things. Sharon is perfect and reminds me alot of my best friend. I felt the obvious emotions of sadness and empathy towards Holly, but I also felt her joy when she remembered Gerry, the way he laughed, smiled, lived just simply lived. Finally I believe that there is a form of love that can live after death. This book makes that quite obvious to the readers that Gerry and Holly’s love will continue.

Characters:

♥Holly: I’m happy that Gerry’s letters were able to affect her from the grave. Although I doubt she will ever fully move on, I know that she will be able to live a life worth living even though he is not physically with her. Gerry really knew how to get her to chase her dreams. By being able to find a job she enjoyed and reentering her friendships as her whole self she was able to find a new way of life. I hope that at some point she can find love, even if it’s not as full as Gerry’s.

♥Denise: Ok so she’s a little moody, but we all have that one friend we love just for that reason. She’s a laugh if nothing else and I fully approve of her getting married.

♥Sharon: She by far reminds me of my best friend, blunt but honest and loyal to the end. She’s compassionate and gives all she can to Holly. I was excited when we found out she was pregnant, but sad that she felt she couldn’t share it with Holly in a better time. But there really would have been no good time.

♥Gerry: Although we never met him, in the memories and through the letters some of us (cough) might have fallen in love with him.

♥Richard: Goes to show we never really know what’s going on in someone’s life unless we take the time to get to know them better. I hope that his new job will bring him joy rather than stress and that he finds life without that rude ex-wife of his.

♥Ciara: Perfect how wild she is. Sure for a laugh, even when she was sad about Matthew you can see that she would figure something out.

♥Daniel: Here is where it gets tricky. I wanted Holly and Daniel to fall in love even though it was too soon. I felt that they got along so well, but in reality sometimes people are just better off friends and this is a perfect case. Neither of them were over the other person they had been with.

♥Moments to Remembe♥r

♥Pg. 9

“Instead, Gerry and Holly travelled the world together. It made far more sense that way because when they weren’t together… well, Holly just felt as though she was missing a vital organ from her body.”

♥Pg. 254

“As much as Sharon tried to tan over the years she just ended up getting sunburned and then it would peel. She had finally given up trying to tan and accepted the fact that her skin was meant to be pale.”

♥Final Line: “In the meantime, she would just live.”

Thanks for reading,

Love,

Sidny xoxo