Helter Skelter - Book Review

Book: Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

Author: Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry

Genre: True Crime 

Publisher/Publish Date: W. W. Norton & Company / 1974

Source: Public Library

Pages: 689

Rating: 4/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

This might possibly be some of the craziest 689 pages I've ever read. The story of the Manson Family and the Tate-Labianca murders is so twisted and outlandish that at times it's hard to believe the people who were part of The Family went along with all of Manson's requests.

I decided to pick this book up since while I had a rough idea of who Charles Manson was, I wasn't really sure what really happened, and what lead to his noteriety. Here's a little background care of Wikipedia...

"Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal and musician who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the murders of seven people, actress Sharon Tate and four other people at Tate's home, and the next day, a married couple, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, all carried out by members of the group at his instruction."

The story though goes beyond that, with multiple other murders linked to The Family, and details the culture and life that Manson created in the desert. Written by the prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi, he's able to give us in in-depth view of the whole story, starting with Manson's early childhood, and how his years in the correctional system lead to him not being able to function properly in society. Though the discovery of the Tate murders and how to police were lead to question and finally arrest Manson and others from his Family.

While the Wikipedia article gives a good overview of what happened, this book is a great look at the smaller details of the case and the life of Charles Manson.

The Vast Unknown by Broughton Coburn - Book Review

Book: The Vast Unknown: America's First Ascent of Everest

Author: Broughton Coburn

Genre: History 

Publisher/Publish Date: Crown / April, 2013

Source: First Reads/GoodReads

Pages: 320

Rating: 4/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

It's no secret that I love books about Everest. While in some ways the stories are all fairly similar, this one tells of America's first assent. Back when climbing Everest was still very new, and a lot more challenging and complicated than it has become today.

America's first expedition team, in 1963, was made up of a young, free-spirited, independent group of climbers, many of whom worked as guides in the Tetons. The climb was a mix of their own hopes of dreams of summiting as well as political and international strategy. In many way the goal of summiting mimicked the space race, which was happening during this time period.

It was not an easy climb. A life was lost. An attempt to summit by a new route was unsuccessful. But their journey made an impact on American climbing and on the lives of each man involved. Coburn does a great job following up with the climbers, showing us the path each of their lives took in the years following their Everest climb.

Thank you GoodReads for a signed copy!

Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink - Book Review

Book: Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

Author: Sheri Fink

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publisher/Publish Date: Crown / September 10, 2013

Source: ARC courtesy of publisher, NetGalley

Pages: 560

Rating: 4.5/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but it in no way effects my review of the book.

This is a dark and upsetting book about the events that took place at New Orlean's Memorial Hospital during and after Hurricane Katrina. The doctor's and staff had to make tough decisions in a stressful situation which I think none of us can really understand.

Located in the downtown area, the hospital's buildings were not effected much by the hurricane, but the resulting floods lead to power outages and flooded some of the generators. The staff felt abandoned by the city and state government and wasn't getting a fast response from their parent company. This left them in a city that was supposedly under marshal law, trying to make the best decision for their patients as well as themselves. They had no clue how long it would take to get evacuated, what was happening outside of the four walls of the hospital, and how safe they were in the building. There was little sense of who was in charge and decisions had to be made on the fly.

This book is packed with information and Fink did an amazing job of interviewing and weaving together what happened during those five days after the hurricane. While we may never have answers to some of the larger questions of why certain decisions were made, this book doesn't take sides.

Not knowing a ton of what happened during Katrina, I found this very fascinating and eye opening. It's a compelling story, and one that I am glad is now being told in detail.

*Please note that we receive affiliate income from any books purchased at Amazon.

If you have reviewed this book, please leave a link to the review in the comments and I will add your review to the main post. All I ask is for you to do the same to mine — thanks! 

Accidental Time Traveller by Janis Mackay - Book Review

Book: Accidental Time Traveller

Author: Janis Mackay

Genre: YA, Middle Grade 

Publisher/Publish Date: Floris Books / May 1, 2013

Source: Publisher, NewGalley

Pages: 240

Rating: 3/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, but it in no way effects my review of the book.

Most Young Adult (YA) or Middle-Grade books fall somewhere along the spectrum of either having weak characters, and a weak plot, which the younger readers may not notice, or being very well written, and enjoyable for adults. I found this one fit somewhere in between, and I would highly recommend it to middle and grade schoolers.

Shortlisted for the Scottish Children's Book Award 2013, the story begins with Saul, on his way to the local store to buy some items for his mother, witnesses a girl suddenly appear in the middle of the road. After rescuing her, he's surprised at how puzzled she is by traffic, items in the shop, and she's wearing a very dated looking dress. Agatha Black introduces herself, and we soon discover she's traveled through time with the help of her father, who we find isn't the best time traveler.

Through Agatha, Saul learns about the history of his small town in Scotland, and she learns about what life is like in the 21st century. She gets to attend school, meet some of this friends, but she really wants to go home, and Saul tries his best and helping her travel back in time.

Please note that we receive affiliate income from any books purchased at Amazon.

If you have reviewed this book, please leave a link to the review in the comments and I will add your review to the main post. All I ask is for you to do the same to mine — thanks!

July - What I Read

After a really slow reading month in June (only 3 books), I kicked it up a notch in July. Though it helped that one is a photo book, another I only read part of, and yet another was short stories.

Coyote Lost at Sea, by Julia Plant 

I really enjoy adventure books and this was no exception. It's a look at the life of Mike Plant, seen through the eyes of his younger sister Julia. He's a solo sailer, willing to risk his life for the sport he loved. [my review]

Kneading to Die, by Liz Mugavero
A good beach read with a bit of heart. Luckily the pet parts didn't over power the other good qualities of the book. [my review]

Vanishing Portland, by Ray Bottenberg
A photography book, showing historical architecture in Portland Oregon, along side a bit of info. Fun way to see and read about the history of this city.

Portland in Three Centuries, by Carl Abbott
Another history book about Portland Oregon, but with a lot more words. I only made it through half of it. It found it interesting, but it had a lot of details and I felt ready to move onto another book.

The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan, by Jonathan Kirsch
While I really liked this book and learned a lot from it, it wasn't the most fun book to read. I powered through it and was glad I did. [my review]

Seaside Harmony, by Evangeline Kelley
Another good beach read or summer read. Lighthearted and made me wish I could take a trip to where the book was set.

Accidental Time Traveller, by Janis Mackay
A pretty decent Middle Grade book about a young girl who travels and gets stuck in time.

A Dangerous Fiction, by Barbara Rogan
A really great mystery novel. Well written with a plot that is layer though not too complicated to get confusing. Expect a review for this soon.

The Winds of Marble Arch and Other Stories, by Connie Willis
A collection of short stories. I read four of them, and really enjoyed them. Mostly I am not a huge fan of short stories though, would rather have something around 300-400 pages with a good story I can get lost in.

The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan by Jonathan Kirsch - Book Review

Book: The Short, Strange Life of Herschel Grynszpan: A Boy Avenger, a Nazi Diplomat, and a Murder in Paris

Author: Jonathan Kirsch

Genre: History

Publisher/Publish Date: Liveright / May 6, 2013

Source: ARC courtesy of publisher

Pages: 352

Rating: 3.5/5

GoodReads  •  Amazon

A fascinating story of a 17 year old Jewish avenger and the Nazi regime that lead him to murder. This is a longer than normal review, and mostly an overview of the story the book is about.

Herschel Grynszpan grew up a Jew in Nazi Germany, but escaped to France in 1936 to live with hi aunt and uncle. A series of events leads to him to the German Embassy, where he shot and killed an Embassy official, Ernst vom Rath, to avenge the atrocities done to the Jews.

The news of the murder spread quickly with lots of people finding his story engaging. American radio broadcaster and journalist Dorothy Thompson, the second most influential woman in America in 1939, was sympathetic to Herschel. Her radio program about him lead to over $40,000 in donations, enabling the hiring of top quality lawyers for his case. British composer Michael Tippett composed an oratorio in Herschel's honor, titled A Child of Our Time.

Herschel sat in prison waiting as the trial was delayed over and over again. In September 1939, after France declared a state of war with Germany, the trial was put on the back burner, as his lawyers and the trial's judge were call upon to serve in the army. Herschel urged the new judge to move ahead with trial, as he had been in prison for two years, and he was afraid if the war was over quickly, people would care less about the trial and he's be more likely to be found guilty.

As Germany took control of Paris, the prison guards transferred the prisoners, including Herschel to prisons in southern France. But since no one really wanted the responsibility of housing him in their prison, they kept sending him off to the next prison south of them, usually forcing him to walk from town to town. He would show up at the next prison, begging to be let in and fed.

Eventually France handed him over to Germany, and while they were wanting to hold a show trial, the date kept on being put off due to the war. What exactly came of Herschel as the war went on may never be known. His last known communications with his parents was in 1940, and German documents lead researchers to believe he was alive until at least 1942. Many rumors surround his death, with no clear story of how he died.

His short life was full of twists, scandal, mystery, and provided the Nazi regime with pretax for the escalation in the persecution of the Jews.

I've read a lot of books about the Holocaust, but from this book I learned more about the time in Nazi Germany before the concentration camps as well as Germany's political relations with other European countries, specifically France. The book is heavy on history with a little juicy inside information here and there. I think anyone who enjoys reading about history would find this book gripping.

*Please note that we receive affiliate income from any books purchased at Amazon.

If you have reviewed this book, please leave a link to the review in the comments and I will add your review to the main post. All I ask is for you to do the same to mine — thanks!