Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by, Erik Larson narrated by, Scott Brick

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by, Erik Larson narrated by, Scott Brick

This book was fascinating and kept me interested all the way through. It is about so much more than just the Lusitania it’s also about seafaring during a time war. It also gives a glimpse into who some of the victims were, the key players President Wilson being one I found out things I didn’t know about him, a young Winston Churchill gets a bit of a storyline to that I found interesting. And the first edition of A Christmas Carol that was also a victim was very sad too.

We all know the story of the Titanic, I’ve read countless books and seen so many documentaries and movies about it but I never knew much about the Lusitania, which is why I wanted to read this book. I found it interesting that the Germans didn’t care if it was a military boat or civilians because they could be bringing supplies so let’s torpedo them all, and that President Wilson said as long as no Americans are on the ships they are shooting down it’s fine, which is quite a different attitude than our government has today. And the British knew that they weren’t shooting at American boats so when the boats got close to England they would fly an American flag, then when the Germans figured that out it was a shoot at everything mentality.

The sad part of the Lusitania being shot down was there were so many children onboard, and that there were destroyers in the area, who I feel should have been escorting and protecting the Lusitania but because of an order to not engage with the subs they knew were there, left these people stranded and I believe more could have been saved had they intervened sooner.

I found this book completely fascinating and it was hard to stop listening, I found all the stories about what seafaring was like in this area during this time period really interesting, as I knew nothing of any of it.

Erik Larson is a great writer I really enjoy his writing style and I liked how he humanized all sides in this conflict.

Scott Brick’s narration was of course wonderful, I thought his male and female voices were well done and he really brought this story to life.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone curious about history or seafaring; also if you like to read books about the Titanic, you should read this book.

4 ½ Stars

I won this book from Tekreads

Boo by, Neil Smith

Boo by, Neil Smith

This was a wonderful story; sad and beautiful in its own way. Boo is a character that will tug at your heartstrings you'll want to take care of him you'll want to make everything better for him. The other characters are well-written and fleshed out and you'll care about them too. Johnny is an interesting character because you're just never sure if what he remembers is true if it's what really happened or is he misremembering events.

This is such an interesting look at what heaven could be, part of me thinks it’s kind of sad to be 13 for 50 years , dear lord that's a long time to be 13, it is such a hard age as it is and to have to live it for so long would be tough. On Earth Boo was a boy with a holey heart (his words for a heart problem) so he was small and pale like a ghost and that is how he got his nickname, he was also bullied for these same things but Boo (Oliver) is also extremely intelligent and would just like to study everything. The last thing Boo remembers is memorizing the periodic chart before his holey heart gave out. But is that what happened? When another boy, Johnny, from his school also shows up in Heaven he tells a much different story.

This book was different from anything I've read for a while I fell in love with these characters; I fell in love with the writing style and the story. I really like the writing style of this author it is the first book I've ever read by him and I would definitely read another.

I don’t  want to give away a minute of this book because I want to enjoy every second, yes there are sad parts, but there are also uplifting moments, funny moments and moments that will pull at your heart. This book is YA but I would highly recommend it to adults and teens alike.

Gosh can you tell I loved this book? So I will end here by saying do yourself a favor and read this book!

5 Stars

I received a copy of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher for a fair and honest review. 

My Reading Log for the first half of 2015

We are at the halfway point of the year and so far I’ve Read 56 books 42 have been Audiobooks 14 Ebook or hardcover

Listened to 677 hours of audio

Read 5678 pages

23 Female Narrators

19 Male Narrators

32 Female Authors

24 Male Authors

Last year I noticed that I listen to way more Female Narrators than Male I’m doing a pretty good job at getting these numbers a little more even. I also tend to read more Female Authors than Male too and wanted to get those more even too but as you can see I’m still reading way more women than men.

So far my favorite books have been:

Mademoiselle Chanel by C.W. Gortner

What She Left Behind by Ellen Marie Wiseman narrated by,Tavia Gilbert

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins narrated by, ClareCorbett , Louise Brealey & India Fisher

Crash & Burn (Tessa Leoni #3) by Lisa Gardner

Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta narrated by, RobertPetkoff

A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott, narrated by, CassandraCampbell

Lacy Eye by Jessica Treadway narrated by, Ellen Archer

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas narrated by, Lorelei King

Every Fifteen Minutes by Lisa Scottoline narrated by, GeorgeNewbern (Goodreads Review)

The One That Got Away by Simon Wood (Goodreads Review)

See what I mean, out of these 10 books only 3 are by men and only 2 narrated by men, and I don’t set out to read or listen to only women it just seems to end up that way. Another point I think is kind of funny is all these people out there saying “read more women authors” but I need to read and listen to more men to make my reading diverse!

So I am going to really try for the month of June which is Audiobook Month (but that’s every month for me) to listen to more male narrators and read some more male authors. Wish Me Luck!