Code Name Edelweiss

by Stephanie Landsem

Dakota County Library paperback 398 pages plus author's note

Published: 2023

Genre: Christian historical fiction

 

I didn't even wait until I finished the book to see how much of this was historically accurate! I also went online to read about the movie Mad Dog of Europe. I can't believe it was never finished! I'd love to see what was filmed in the 1930s. Fascinating stuff. Finding out that Landsem is a Minnesota author took me to her webpage. It would be so cool to talk with her about her book! Book Club meets in two days, so . . . probably not going to happen.

Liesl Weiss is a German woman raising her two children with her mother's help ever since her husband simply didn't come home from work one day two years previously. She is abruptly let go from her job as a secretary at MGM Studios and desperate to find a job to support the family. She is hired by Leon Lewis to spy on the German nationalists in Los Angeles. I'm not doing the story justice! It is so incredibly well-written. I'll just start with my post-it notes.

Page 37 - "With a pang of guilt, I caught the trolley and turned my mind to finding work instead of the unrelenting questions of motherhood."

Liesl is trying to be a 1930s supermom. She's working to support the family, trying to establish limits and discipline, be nurturing and supportive, and hope earnestly that her husband will show up. The "unrelenting questions" of motherhood have plagued many women!

Page 79 - "I pulled the covers up to her chin and kissed her brow, wondering how to talk to a child about people like the Grundbachers."

Liesl's daughter Tess has been told by her Aryan classmates that she should not play with Frieda because she's Jewish and "Jews are dirty and have germs." Sadly, parents teaching their children prejudice, hatred, and racism is an evil that still happens today. It can be hard as a parent to figure out how to teach your children to respond to this. Liesl's answer was pretty lame, in my opinion. "Jesus did not have germs. Go to sleep now." Waiting until she's older isn't sufficient!

Page 85 - "Somebody needed to tell those kids the real enemies weren't the Jews or the Catholics or Negroes, like the Klan and the National Socialists wanted them to believe. The real enemies were poverty and injustice and ignorance - and hate."

 

Wilhelm was my favorite character! I love that he really cared about the young men being recruited by the Nazis.

Page 103 - "Vati had taught me that being German was something to be proud of - a culture that valued work and orderliness, love for family and duty to country."

I love how the author made Liesl such a relatable character. She took the job with Leon Lewis just to have some income. She was convinced that working at the German American headquarters will not lead to any spy-worthy information. After being given a copy of Mein Kampf, her reading leads her to question her assumptions. 

Page 178 - "'But it is easier to turn a blind eye.' He tipped his head to the crowd of men hoping for a day's work. 'Especially when you have troubles of your own.'"

During this era in history, people were more concerned about economics, jobs, etc. They were past the "Great War" and not thinking so much about geopolitical events.

Page 192 - "'You don't have nothing to be sorry for,' she said. 'It's the way of the world.'"

A black woman with her two children says this to Liesl after Liesl apologizes that the woman was refused service at a restaurant. Her resignation that this is just the way of the world is so sad to me.

Page 210 - "He looked back at me and for a moment, I saw a flash of the boy I'd known. 'I love you too.'"

Oh! I love this scene between Liesl and her brother Fritz! She has been so frustrated by his choices in life and his becoming a Nazi. When she talks with him and reminds him that she loves him, I think it's a turning point for him.

Page 301 - "He was just a kid and kids shouldn't die. When they did, your heart died with them. And then you lived the rest of your life with a big hole in your chest."

I can't imagine losing a child! The fear that Liesl and Miriam feel for their children is palpable. Evil people doing evil things . . . and the innocent suffer.

Page 387 - "Our lives had been a mixture of struggles and joy but Tomas had loved me through the quarrels and our differences. I knew that now. I had not been abandoned. Not by Tomas and not by God."

It was so awful to find out what really happened to Tomas! I can't imagine the guilt of thinking he'd left her because he didn't even love her. As she explains to Tess and little Steffen, she recognizes that she has grown in her faith.

Author's Note - "Then there was what was happening in our own time in the United States. The years between 2016 and 2020 were ones of increasing division in our country. Families split along political lines. Our partisan government bickered instead of leading. The media lost credibility. Starting in 2020, a global pandemic created fear, peaceful protests turned violent, and mob mentality destroyed cities. Every part of our society struggled with isolation, distrust, and division. I began to see more clearly what might have happened during the privations of the Great Depression, the tragedy of the Dust Bowl, and the heightened racial tensions of the 1930s."

She is so eloquent! I really like this author.

Historical Note - "This is what I hope you gain from Liesl and Wilhelm's story: the truth about courage, conviction, and love that both encompasses and transcends the historical record."

Yes and amen. I loved that the theme of "If not me, who? If not now, when?" ran throughout the book. I also liked that the idea of love overcoming fear and hate is an idea that we can put into practice.

I look forward to this book discussion on Monday!

Enola Holmes and the Boy in Buttons (Enola Holmes #8)

by Nancy Springer

Libby audiobook 32 minutes

Read by: Tamaryn Payne

Published: 2021

Genre: YA historical detective mystery

 

I've read several Enola Holmes mysteries. This novella is delightful. Enola's helper (the boy in buttons) is sick one day and so his little brother comes in his stead. The younger brother doesn't come back home and Enola goes to find him. 

 

Short and satisfying. I enjoyed it and may get back into reading this series.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

by Stuart Turton

Libby audiobook 17 hours

Read by James Cameron Stewart

Published: 2018

Genre: murder mystery with a fantasy twist

I'm not sure how to write about this book. It was strange. And pretty violent. But I was curious to find out the "whodunnit" aspect and so I finished the whole book. 

From Amazon: "The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man's race to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem. Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked-room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense."

 

What I liked: the clues, the intellectual challenge of trying to figure out who was the murderer, Aiden as a character

 

What I disliked: the odd illogic / impossibility of living within several "hosts" and repeating the same day multiple times, the creepiness of the Footman and his psycho love of causing pain, the too numerous characters to the point of not even trying to figure out who's who, the fact that I was sucked in and completed a 17 hour audiobook!

How to Win Friends and Influence People: Updated for the Next Generation of Leaders

by Dale Carnegie

Libby audiobook 8 hours

Read by: Robert Petkoff

Genre: Non-fiction, self-help (of a sort)

 

I was curious about this book because it's one I've heard of for over four decades. I finally requested it and after a long waiting period, got it to listen to. There are times I found it interesting and relevant. And then there are times I thought it hasn't been updated nearly enough! Some of the later portions are definitely in an older mindset of workers should always give their best for their workplace . . . and quite frankly, I don't think that all employers deserve their employees' "all" just to increase their own profits. Some of the advice seems to be more about common sense and common courtesy. I like how there are little stories and illustrations for all the points.

Here are the main points I jotted down:

Part One - 

1. Don't criticize, condemn, or complain.

2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.

3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Part Two - 

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.

2. Smile.

3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

5. Talk in terms of the other person's interests.

6. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

Part Three - How to Win People to Your Way of Thinking

1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.

2. Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never say "You're wrong."

3. If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.

4. Begin in a friendly way.

5. Get the other person saying "Yes yes" immediately.

6. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.

7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.

8. Try earnestly to see things from the other's POV.

9. Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.

10. Appeal to the nobler motives.

11. Dramatize your ideas.

12. Throw down a challenge.

 

Part Four - Be a Leader

1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.

2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.

3. Talk about your own mistakes before criticizing others.

4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.

5. Let the other person save face.

6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.

7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.

8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.

9. Make the person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

 

My favorite part was when he talked about how dogs give unconditional love and attention. I jotted "be like a dog!" :-) 

Being a good listener is the advice I most need to improve upon.

I found a scrap of paper with notes about some quotations I'd like to save here.

"Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." - Abraham Lincoln

"Actions seem to follow feeling, but really actions and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not. Thus the sovereign voluntary path to cheerfulness, if our cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there." - William James

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." (from Hamlet) - William Shakespeare

 

Girl Forgotten

by April Henry

Libby audiobook 6 hours

read by: Tessa Netting

Published: 2023

Genre: YA murder mystery

 

"Seventeen years ago, Layla Trello was murdered and her killer was never found. Enter true-crime fan Piper Gray, who is determined to re-open Layla's case and get some answers. With the help of Jonas - who has a secret of his own - Piper starts a podcast investigating Layla's murder. But as she digs deeper into the mysteries of the past, Piper begins receiving anonymous threats telling her to back off the investigation, or else."

 

This book bothered me more than I anticipated. I've read other April Henry books and I know I'm not her target audience, but some of the issues raised seem to be too easily dismissed.

 

Podcasting, journalistic integrity, research, innuendo, rumor, inaccurate info, sensationalism, perspective . . . especially when dealing with the true crime genre and real people's lives . . . it just didn't seem to address these questions very well. 

 

The killer was not who I anticipated. I liked Jonas, except for being so upset with Piper for her untruth.  

Wish You Were Here

 by: Rita Mae Brown

Libby eBook pagination dependent upon font size

Published: 2004

Genre: realistic fiction plus animal thoughts

A friend recommended this to me when I mentioned how much I enjoyed the animals' point of view in the Chet and Bernie mystery series. I had a hard time getting into this book and seriously thought about returning it unfinished.

The main character is the postmistress "Harry." I don't recall what her real name is and this moniker is from her soon-to-be-ex-husband's last name "Haristeen." I just looked - her name is Mary Minor Haristeen. But everyone calls her "Harry." Her cat Mrs. Murphy and her corgi dog Tucker share their side of the story. Crozet, Virginia is a small town where everybody is in everybody else's business. There were so many characters! It was a bit challenging to figure them out for a while. Oh! And Harry's spouse was named "Pharamond Haristeen" and went by "Fair."

A businessman is found dead in a cement mixer. A businesswoman is found in pieces after being tied to railroad tracks (she was already dead). Harry is snooping for clues and shooting her mouth.

This book wasn't one I'll eagerly read the rest of the series for. I did highlight a few passages, though.

Chapter 1: "What I'm getting at is that maybe we don't know one another as well as we think we do. It's a small-town illusion - thinking we know each other." 

 

Susan and Harry are talking about who the killer might be. 

Chapter 2: "Something had happened to America within Harry's life span, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but something she could feel, sharply. There was no contest between God and the golden calf. Money was God, these days. Little pieces of green paper with dead people's pictures on them were worshipped. (sic) People no longer killed for love. They killed for money. How odd to be alive in a time of spiritual famine."

This disheartening sentiment is sadly too close to the truth. The author herself isn't particularly spiritual, though. 

Chapter 2: "Heaven was all very fine but you had to die to get there. Harry wasn't afraid to die but she wouldn't refuse to live either."

Harry is reflecting on Mrs. Hogendobber - the characteristically overbearing, obnoxious, self-righteous Christian. Harry observes that she "vainly clung to a belief system that had lost its power."

Chapter 10: "Mom used to say, 'A woman marries a man hoping to change him and a man marries a woman hoping she'll never change.'"

That's an interesting notion. It fit for Harry's marriage.

Chapter 10: "By the time Harry cleaned up the mess she was too tired to discipline them. To her credit, she understood that this was punishment for her leaving. She understood, but was loath to admit that the animals trained her far better than she trained them."

I get this! Animals can be super effective at training their humans. 

Chapter 11 and another chapter had a group of animals talking about how humans don't kill the sick young like animals do. This made sense from the animals' point of view, but was a little concerning . . . at what age do we decide a "sick" person (e.g. a killer) should be put to death? Who decides? 

Chapter 17: "What worried him was the example he set. He didn't want to be a slave to his job but he didn't want to be too lazy either. He didn't want to be too stern but he didn't want to be too lax. He didn't want to treat his son any differently from his daughter but he knew he did."

Ned was a great character, but we didn't see much of him other than disciplining his son for pulling $500 out of Ned's account. 

Toward the end of the book, a character referenced the "War of Northern Aggression," and though I've heard of that name for the Civil War, it's a bit unsettling.

Great Expectations

by Charles Dickens

Libby audiobook 15.5 hours

Read by: Simon Prebble

Published: 1861 (this version 2011)

Genre: realistic (historical) fiction

I can't believe I haven't blogged this before! I taught it to ninth graders back in the 90s. I've read it multiple times, but not in recent years. (I've not yet seen a movie version.)

I'd forgotten some of the details and was delighted to reacquaint myself with "the Aged Parent" and some of the other characters. It's amazing to me how powerfully Dickens can evoke emotions and examine human nature in his characterizations.

 

As always, I start the story being sympathetic to Pip and upset with his sister, Mrs. Gargery. Joe Gargery is a fascinating character, strong, kind, sympathetic. He had an abusive dad and he wanted to protect his mother. He put up with Pip's sister because of the kind of person he was, not because of her merits. He was an illiterate blacksmith who did his best to protect Pip. (I had forgotten what happened to Mrs. G . . . )

"Philip Pirrip" came out of the little boys' mouth as "Pip." I love that name! I had forgotten that Herbert Pocket had given him the nickname of "Handel."

Miss Havisham was her creepy self as I remembered. I had forgotten her grief at realizing what Estella had become.

There were a couple of times that I wasn't sure of what word I heard. I only jotted down one from chapter 8: "farinaceous—having a mealy or powdery texture." (https://nycmsenglish.weebly.com/great-expectations-vocabulary.html)

Some of my favorite parts were when Pip spoke up for Matthew Pocket to Miss Havisham, when Joe came to nurse Pip back to health, and when Herbert rescued him on the marshes.

My least favorite characters were Compeyson, Orlick, and Pumblechook. My favorites were Pip (most of the time), Wemmeck, and Joe. Joe is the best!

Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery

by Ally Carter

Libby audiobook 8 hours

read by: Laura Knight Keating

Published: 2021

Genre: YA mystery, adventure

I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the first Winterborne book, but April, Collin, and the other orphans are firmly attached to Gabriel Winterborne and they strive to "help" him as they seek adventure. Some mysteries and loose ends from the first book are tied up. The island was interesting. The bad guys were really bad.