Project 52 update

Project 52 is so far successful! At first I worried I might lose interest or momentum, but honestly I've had a harder time not reading ahead. I've devoured everything I've read so far and had to start pacing myself so I still get my other things done :)

Book 2

Skeletons at the feast-Chris Bohjalian

I bought this book two years ago, it's been sitting on my bookshelf waiting for me to get around to it! I love WWII stories, and this novel is based loosely on real people's stories/diaries during that time. Bohjalian's writing is smooth and even though he writes from the perspective of several different characters (and different sides, german, jewish, scottish...) throughout the story you never feel lost or disjointed. My favorite thing about the book is the way these characters intertwine in the stories, it gives a sense of what it really might have been like. His portrayal of the war is abrupt and violent, heartbreaking and honest. I strongly recommend it!


Book 3

Three Dog Life-Abigail Thomas

I'm not even sure where to start. This book was a sucker punch to the heart. This memoir is about Thomas' husband who gets hit by a car in NYC and suffers a life changing brain injury. The injury alters his personality, his memory and his ability to complete simple tasks such as brushing his teeth. Thomas puts her husband in an assisted living home, but her love and loyalty never stray.

I was recommended this book by a writing professor in college, due to Thomas' writing style. Her prose is honest, insightful and heartbreaking without feeling forced. There's nothing I hate more than a book that reads like a lifetime movie, and generally this type of tragedy tends to lead to that type of storytelling. Not Thomas. Her writing is so incredible I had to keep myself from reading the book in one sitting. My favorite chapter is "How to break up a dog fight" which relates just as much to the human condition as it does to her three dogs.


GO. OUT. AND. READ. THESE.