Friday, March 31, 2017

Book Review: A Sparrow In Terezin

photograph by me
Kristy Cambron first came across my radar sometime after the release of her first novel The Butterfly and Violin. It was a review of her second novel, the one I am reviewing here, that I read in WORLD magazine that sealed the deal. I knew I wanted to take a chance on these books. WWII. Art. Gorgeous covers. Good reviews. It had enough of my favorite things to take a chance on.

So, last year I took that chance and read The Butterfly and the Violin. I fell in love with Kristy’s writing and style of storytelling. I became a fan. And now I just finished her second novel A Sparrow In Terezin and there is no going back. I am officially invested in Kristy’s writing career. *stalks any news of upcoming Kristy Cambron books*

A Sparrow In Terezin follows the story of Kaja Makovsky as she barely escapes Nazi occupied Prague, forced to leave her parents behind, and then finds herself facing the London Blitz in England. Working for the Daily Telegraph, Kaja is horrified to learn of the extermination of Jews in concentration camps by the Nazis and makes the decision to go back to Prague. Determined to get her parents to safety, Kaja returns to a Europe shrouded in darkness and suffering.

As much as I loved Butterfly and the Violin, I enjoyed and loved A Sparrow In Terezin even more. I felt more connected to Kaja as a character and to her and Liam’s story. For some reason it felt more personal. Maybe it was Kaja’s more reserved personality or the fact that she worked for a newspaper, I am not sure. If I am honest, I was more connected to Sera and William’s present day storyline this time around as well.

One of my favorite aspects of this story was Kaja's fierce determination to hold onto hope even in the darkest of times and worst of situations. Even when she felt like there was no hope, there would be a reminder that God had not abandoned them and that even in the horrific suffering of the concentration camps there was reason to hope. And how, sometimes, these reminders come from the most unthinkable of sources.

Kristy’s writing and style of storytelling is one of my favorites. Her writing is so vibrant and touching. I adore her usage of dual timelines, even if the WWII era thread will always be my favorite. And I love the fact that in a Christian publishing market dominated by romance novels, she never has the romance threads be the point or sole focus of the story. Her stories are the kind that touch your heart and you cannot easily forget.

Basically, go read this novel. If you love WWII historical fiction or really good, moving stories you are bound to love this one! I cannot wait to read her other new releases.

Have you read any of Kristy Cambron's novels? Or, do you have any pressing questions you want to ask me? Leave a comment on my post here and I'll answer them next week.

Monday, March 20, 2017

In the Works

photograph by me

Happy Belated Saint Patrick's Day, all my fine blog readers! I went out more this year for St. Patrick's Day than I think I ever have before and I am now in a very Irish/Celtic mood. I have brought out all my Irish/Celtic/Scottish music from my obsessed teenage years. (It's not like I ever abandoned it though. Not really. It is a predecessor of the folky-rock-ish sound that is my favorite for music, after all.) Can I just say, Hanna has some of the best music suggestions?

Anyhow, I have been working on plans for future blog posts. I have one in the works about my current Work-In-Progress and then I am looking at my to-read list for books to review here. But I have another much more informal post I would like to do. I would like you to know me better. I am very socially awkward. (Imagine me holding a friend's baby while rambling on about decapitation and being extremely thankful the babe's mother was not there to witness my floundering. I'm also very thankful that the baby had no understanding of what I was going on about and was too young to ask me what it meant. *ahem*) I also have a hard time letting people outside of my immediate family know much about me and what I like. They know I write and I love books, but I never go into details. It's one of my big goals for 2017— to let people get to really know me as I actually am and to get to know other people better instead of shying away from social settings and interactions. So, ask away! Ask me anything you would like to know about me, books, film, music, art, travel, that gluten-free life, or anything else you can think of to ask me and leave the question in the comments of this post! I will make a hopefully long and chatty reply blog post in the next two weeks.

My questions for you: What did you do this Saint Patrick's Day? And what are your favorite Irish songs/singers?

Thursday, March 9, 2017

2016 In Review: The Films

Better late than never seems to be my blogging style these days. Approaching on two months since my favorite books of 2016 post went up, the film half is finally making its appearance.

At the beginning of 2016, I made the decision to make a list of every movie I watched that year so I could keep better track of the ones I saw and look back. It is somewhat incomplete, because I know I forgot to write down some, but most of them are recorded and I hope to keep better track this year.

Anyhow, here is a list of my top 10 films watched in 2016. Please note, that, after much debate, I have decided to only count films I saw for the first time. I’m going to talk about re-watched films at the very end because Singing In the Rain.


The Gunfighter (1950). Gunfighter Jimmy Ringo kills a young man in self defense and leaves town, traveling to another town where he hopes to be reunited with his family before the young man’s three brothers catch up seeking revenge. Starring Gregory Peck and featuring a stellar supporting cast, this western moves along quickly and packs an emotional punch.


Little Annie Rooney (1925). In a way 2016 was the year of silent movies for me and this one came out as one of my favorites. Mary Pickford is luminous and adorable. And this film contains what might be one of the most heartbreaking scenes I have ever watched. Watch it.


Casablanca (1942). I finally got around to watching this classic and why it took me so long I will never know. Claude Raines, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Heinreid, S.K. Sakall, and other familiar members of the Warner Brothers studio lot comprise a cast that made this the classic it is. And did I mention Claude Rains? His performance in this is superb.


Judgment at Nuremberg (1961). This intense drama based on the Nazis war crime trials that took place after the war packs a mean punch, only this film narrows down the focus onto German judges who were put on trial for their actions during the Nazi regime. An outstanding cast led by Spencer Tracy includes Burt Lancaster, Maximilian Schell, and Richard Widmark who are more than ably supported by Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, and Judy Garland.


The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935). Set on the Erie Canal as the railroads were beginning to flourish, a riverboat cook, born and raised on the river, falls in love with a farmer determined to find himself a farm to live out his dreams. Starring Janet Gaynor and Henry Fonda, this film took me by surprise and ended up delighting me.


No Highway in the Sky (1951). Scientist Theodore Honey has a theory about why a new airplane has been crashing and while en route to investigate the crash site, he finds himself on one of the planes he believes to be defective. With a cast that boasts Jimmy Stewart with Glynis Johns and Marlene Dietrich supporting, how can you go wrong? A thoroughly engrossing film.


The Shop Around the Corner (1940). Another classic I finally got around to watching, I had previously seen the musical remake In the Good Old Summertime starring Judy Garland. Two shop clerks get off on the wrong foot and dislike each other intensely, while falling in love with each through an anonymous correspondence. Starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullivan.


The Kiss of Death (1947). A film noir directed by Henry Hathaway, the plot follows ex-con Nick Bianco (Victor Mature) as he assists in helping the assistant DA collect evidence against his psychopathic former prison mate (Richard Widmark). Cast also includes Karl Malden in a bit role, Coleen Gray, and Brian Donlevy.


Desk Set (1957). Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn star in this romantic comedy where an efficiency expert finds his match in a researcher at a broadcasting company's reference library. I’ve been told Katharine Hepburn’s character’s job in this movie is what I should have been if I had lived in the 50s. I love looking up random facts and I usually remember them.


And tied for tenth place, I’m going to go with The General (1927) and Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928) two silent comedies starring Buster Keaton. Keaton is another silent film discovery I made in 2016. His serious take on slapstick comedy is film gold.

And now it’s time for honorable mentions. (You didn’t think you would get by without them, did you?)

First, I will go with two films that were re-watches for me but secured much higher rankings in my list of favorite films the second time around: The Great Escape (1963) and Singing In the Rain (1953).

I honestly lost count of how many times I watched The Great Escape in 2016. I first watched the recorded off TV copy that is my family’s and was horrified and aghast to discover the screen had been cropped from its glorious widescreen into a pan and scan. *ahem* I will refrain from ranting on the atrocity that is cropping widescreen films. Anyhow, it was shown on TCM in all its widescreen glory a couple of days later and all was made right. The Great Escape stars an all-star cast in a WWII POW escape story based on actual events.

I first saw Singing In the Rain maybe seven(?) years ago but was not a massive fan. I honestly did not understand why it was such a classic. My younger sister and I decided to re-watch it one night and fell head over heels for it. It is a classic for a reason. It is such an exuberant film! The main cast includes Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor all at their finest. I highly recommend it.

Three more honorable mentions that I greatly enjoyed were: It’s Always Fair Weather (1955), The Four Feathers (1939), and Journey For Margaret (1942).

What were your favorite films watched in 2016? And what have been some standouts so far this year?


All photographs via Pinterest.