January 2011

Fall of Giants by Ken Follett
It has been called a “magnificent new historical epic” but I call it way too damn long and not that interesting. I wanted to get involved in the lives of the five interrelated families-American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh but I just couldn’t. Sorry Ken

Nemesis by Philip Roth
During the summer of 1944, 23 year old Bucky Cantor thought he was the luckiest guy alive. He was idolized by the kids on the neighborhood playground, and was in love with a wonderful girl. If Polio hadn’t swept through the Jewish community things may have turned out just fine.♥♥

The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz
Haruko is the first non-aristocratic woman to marry into the royal family and finds herself controlled at every turn. Thankfully, she produces a son, but in the process has a nervous breakdown. Interesting story, well researched.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Henrietta Lacks was a poor southern woman who became one of the most important women in medical research. The cells they took from her are known as HeLa and are a now a multi-billion dollar industry – and they were taken without her knowledge. The first "immortal" human cells grown in culture, are still alive today, though Henrietta has been dead for more than sixty years. Sadly, she remains virtually unknown, buried in an unmarked grave. ♥♥♥