What’s on Your Summer Reading List?

Even on a cruise we go well stocked with reading material

There are so many good books this summer. Today the UPS truck arrived and dropped off two that we thought would interest us this month. A third should be arriving in a day or so. Many times we have our books delivered to the kindle but we thought we would order these in hardback and bring them down to the Merida English library on our next trip.

The first book is “In the Garden of Beasts” by Erik Larson. A non-fiction account of the days before WW II began, 1933, in Berlin. William E. Dodd becomes first ambassador to Germany during Hitler’s rise to power. A professor from Chicago, he brings along his wife and two adult children. His daughter Martha is a flamboyant personality entranced by the parties, and pomp, enamored by the Third Reich, ‘New Germany’ she indulges in several affairs. This is the story of an American family during the tense atmosphere before the war breaks out.

Our second book that arrived today is “Lost in Shangri-La” authored by Mitchell Zuckoff. Another true story from WW II, this one takes place in the New Guinea jungle May 1945 just before the end of the war. A plane filled with military employees take off for a joy ride over the lush jungle. The crash left only three survivors who must battle their way out of the jungle. Caught between a primitive tribe of natives and the Japanese, they endure a harrowing hike. A brave band of paratroopers risk their own lives to save them. The author uses journals, newspaper reports, films and interviews to write this true adventure.

The third book is also about WW II. (It must be a theme!) “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand is another true story. This is about Louie Zamperini, a juvenile delinquent turned Olympic runner turned army hero. It should be a good read!

What’s on your summer reading list? I’d love to plan our next few books and I’m always open to suggestions!