Ocean City Free Public Library Book Blog

Frank Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson A tragic mix of evolutionary development of submarine technology, politics of neutrality, and personal insights to the lives of her passengers.  Interesting Factoid: After the Titanic sank, new and safer life-jackets were designed. While they were installed on the Lusitania, there were no drills held that required the jackets to be used. The torpedoed ship sank within sight of Ireland, and many died because they stepped into the jack  rather than putting their arms through the armholes. Many ended up flipping upside down in the water and couldn't escape.  A Gentleman in Moscow  by Amor Towles Rostov the ever gentleman versus the Bolsheviks, all while sentenced to be a prisoner inside the Metropol Hotel. Great character, pathos and twists contained within while the outside world changes over a thirty-year period. Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War ...

  From the best-selling author of The Alchemist,  Paulo Coelho's  new book is about espionage, tragedy and a story of a woman who wanted to create her own life.  Told through Mata Hari's final letter while in prison, The Spy is the unforgettable story of a woman who dared to fight against traditions and created a life of her own imagining. It is with this unique spirit that helped set course what would be a life that would later be intertwined in espionage at the height of the panic during WWI. A great fictionalized snippet of what could have happened in the final moments of the once famous dancer that came and went in history as both enchanting and dangerous.        If you want to read The Spy   by Paulo Coelho, pick up a copy at The Ocean City Free Public Library.

Every once in awhile, I enjoy a nice long saga. Double points if it's historical fiction. In the past, I've enjoyed Ken Follett's historical works Pillars of the Earth and World Without End , so I figured I'd check out his latest book Fall of Giants , which is the 1st book in his new Century Trilogy. Fall of Giants details the events leading up to and including World War I through the eyes of several different characters. What's interesting about FoG is that these characters are all not only from different socioeconomic situations (e.g. an Earl, a suffragette, a poor mining community), but also from different countries as well (Allies as well as German), so it was definitely enlightening to view the war through various lenses. The bulk of the novel deals with a lot of military talk, so if that's your thing, great. For me, at times, it seemed a little tedious. Despite that, Follett is a decent storyteller and his depictions of battle were very cinematic. As pa...