Welcome to my weekly reading post. Every Wednesday I write about the book(s) I have read during the previous week. I usually finish one or two (my pace has slowed down a lot since I had a stroke in 2019). Also, I log all of my books on Goodreads with a short response. I wish I had been able to do that during my over 60 years of reading. What a list I would have!

Here’s the first of the week…

Having really enjoyed the first book in Michael J Sullivan’s series, The Riyira Chronicles, last week, I went straight on to book two: The Rose and the Thorn. This is the blurb:

“A dear friend is brutally beaten. Two thieves want answers. Riyria is born.”

“One year earlier, two thieves were saved from certain death by the compassion of a stranger. Unable to forget the woman who saved their lives, Royce and Hadrian now return to Gwen DeLancy and are shocked when she refuses to speak to them. Baffled, the two thieves discover Gwen has been brutally beaten by a powerful noble–beaten so badly she can’t face them. But Gwen doesn’t know about Royce’s past, doesn’t understand how much he cares for her, and doesn’t realize what he is capable of–but she’s about to find out.”

I was unsure whether this second book would be as gripping as the first one, but it was. Here is my response on Goodreads…

The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an enjoyable and satisfying read. I loved the developing relationship between the two main protagonists, Royce and Hadrian, which brings a touch of humour. There were more POV characters who became a gripping part of the plot with a lot of plotting! All in all, I am starting to love these books as they are a great way to escape a difficult life.

I may take a break for a while, but will soon return to Sullivan’s brilliant books.

View all my reviews

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Next, I decided to read a book from my library ebook app. The book has been made into a TV series and has had a lot of attention and hype…

The book was The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. I didn’t expect to enjoy this book exactly, given the subject matter, but I did hope that I might learn something new and be somewhat affected emotionally. This is the blurb (very detailed, for once):

“The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on the true story of Lale and Gita Sokolov, two Slovakian Jews who survived Auschwitz and eventually made their home in Australia. In that terrible place, Lale was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival – literally scratching numbers into his fellow victims’ arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust. Lale used the infinitesimal freedom of movement that this position awarded him to exchange jewels and money taken from murdered Jews for food to keep others alive. If he had been caught, he would have been killed; many owed him their survival.

There have been many books about the Holocaust – and there will be many more. What makes this one so memorable is Lale Sokolov’s incredible zest for life. He understood exactly what was in store for him and his fellow prisoners, and he was determined to survive – not just to survive but to leave the camp with his dignity and integrity intact, to live his life to the full. Terrible though this story is, it is also a story of hope and of courage. It is also – almost unbelievably – a love story. Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale – a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer – it was love at first sight, and he determined not only to survive himself but to ensure that Gita did, too. His story – their story – will make you weep, but you will also find it uplifting. It shows the very best of humanity in the very worst of circumstances.

Like many survivors, Lale and Gita told few people their story after the war. They eventually made their way to Australia, where they raised a son and had a successful life. But when Gita died, Lale felt he could no longer carry the burden of their past alone. He chose to tell his story.”

And here is what I wrote on Goodreads:

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Very poor writing about an interesting and heartbreaking (true?) story. I managed to finish, because I wanted to know how everything turned out, but it was an effort to read the dry, stilted prose. It felt like reading a terribly bad translation.

There are so many better books about these horrific events and I definitely won’t stir myself to read her other books in the series.

View all my reviews

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If any of you have read this book (or any of the others that I write about each week), I would love to know your own responses. Please comment if you want to.

Happy Reading to you all!

Love and best wishes,

Anne

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