Archives

Stories Of Hope by Heather Morris

Sep18

Wow… Inspiring

Stories Of Hope by Heather Morris is a powerful read about the importance of listening to others when they are talking.

Heather Morris wrote The Tattooist Of Auschwitz and also Cilka’s Journey, both of which I have read and are excellent. Within this book Heather Morris talks about her experiences of listening to Lale as he talked about Auschwitz. It was important to listen well and not ask questions that would interrupt his flow.

Many survivors of the concentration camps do not talk about their experiences, especially within their families. Their stories need to be told in tribute to both the survivors and the six million innocents who died.

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The Yorkshire Vet by Peter Wright

Sep1

Charming And Welcoming

The Yorkshire Vet: In The Footsteps Of Herriot by Peter Wright is a wonderful accompaniment to the television series The Yorkshire Vet. I have been a fan of the show since the beginning, loving the wit and charm of Peter Wright and getting to know the various locals – my favourites being Steve and Jean Green.

This book perfectly captures the essence of Peter Wright with his straight forward speaking and the many tales of his life down the years.

It is fascinating to hear of Peter Wright’s time under Alf Wight (the real James Herriot).

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In The Garden Of Beasts by Erik Larson

Jul1

Chilling

In The Garden Of Beasts by Erik Larson is a fascinating yet horrifying account of American ambassador to Berlin, William Dodd, after his appointment in summer of 1933.

 The book charts the rise of Hitler and the Nazi party. Hitler is described by Dodd’s daughter as “a clown who looked like Charlie Chaplin… could not imagine him lasting very long or being taken very seriously.” How very wrong she proved to be.

William Dodd thought Hitler, Goring and Himmler were all unsuitable for their posts. He disliked them all. Unfortunately a reign of terror was just beginning.

The atmosphere of fear grew over the years. It is ironic that people could be prosecuted for mistreatment of animals, even going to prison, but human life was not seen as so precious.

We see how Von Pappen believed Hitler could be controlled like a puppet and so handed Hitler power on a plate. As history shows, this spectacularly backfired.

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The Real Beatrix Potter by Nadia Cohen

Apr30

The Peter Rabbit Lady

The Real Beatrix Potter by Nadia Cohen is a fascinating insight into one of the world’s best known and loved children’s author. Beatrix Potter was so much more than just a famous author. She was a woman ahead of her time, caring little for the fashionable drawing rooms of Kensington and preferring the rugged outdoors of her beloved Lake District.

Even as a child Beatrix Potter was curious about nature and animals. She loved drawing them and also experimenting. These were activities which she shared with her younger brother.

The famous Tale Of Peter Rabbit was at first refused by the publishers Warne and co but after the success of a self-published run, they published it in 1902 and sold 200,000 in just a few months. The rest as they say is history.

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