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Nazi Gold: The Full Story of the Fifty-Year Swiss-Nazi Conspiracy to Steal Billions from Europe's Jews and Holocaust Survivors by Tom Bower

3/9/2017

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Genre: Historical/Non-Fiction
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We can find many books, fictional and historical, that detail the horrors of the holocaust.  Germany has spent many years trying to wipe away the stigma of one of history's darkest moments.  Other European countries played significant roles in Hitler's quest for supreme power, but Switzerland's claim of neutrality never wavered. 
History tells us, however, there is another story.

In 1940, hundreds of Switzerland's leading politicians and businessmen were petitioning the government to show greater sympathy toward the Nazis. They might have wanted to remain neutral in the face of the atrocities committed, but they were anxious to profit from the crime.  In Nazi Gold author Bower tells a story of manipulation used to strip millions of Jewish people of their possessions and how the Swiss profited from every stolen dollar hidden in their banks. Even after the war was lost, these bankers refused to return the funds to the families of the murdered without death certificates that could never be attained.

The author also shows ways that the Swiss actually aided the Nazis with supplies and money while outwardly claiming their neutrality.  His research is evident, and the book is rather dry in parts, but it does tell a story that needs to be told.  He also shares some of the victims' experiences, making the book a bit more personal but that much more difficult to read.   Bower shares the legal battles fought, long after the war ended, trying to make the Swiss own up to their part in the financial raping of millions of people.

It is difficult to recommend this as a "good" book, but it is probably a helpful book to read if you want to get an entire picture of the time.  Bower is obviously not a fan of the Swiss and those feelings probably shaded his research and writing, but much of what he said is factual and leaves little room for his opinion to alter those facts.  I have been reading this book a few sections at a time, and while I still have a few pages to go, I will say it has shown me that there are many ways to be a villain.

- Beverly


Publisher - Open Road Media 
Date of Publication - March 21, 2017
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I'll Drink to That: A Life in Style, with a Twist by Betty Halbreich

3/8/2017

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Genre: Memoir
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In the 1930s, Betty Halbreich's parents were well-to-do and quite glamorous. She was raised in Chicago, and loved getting lost in her mother's fabulous closet amid the most stylish of outfits.  She didn't want for much materialistically, but she craved love and attention from parents too preoccupied to provide it. Ultimately her own marriage failed, and Betty decided to become a working woman.  Sticking to what she knew best, she decided to invent the perfect job, and she became a stylist.

After nearly forty years as a personal shopper at Bergdorf Goodman, eighty-six year old Betty decided to share her life with us, and I am glad she did.  When I'll Drink to That was recommended to me, I quietly rolled my eyes.  I was sure that I would be utterly bored reading about some snooty woman, shopping for other snooty women.  I was wrong.
Betty's charm ran through this story of a woman thoroughly enjoying her time at work.  

The first chapter made me want to go to my local Saks or Nieman Marcus, and find a lovely grey haired lady to transform me with several perfect outfits.  Unfortunately, I remembered that I would have to pay for these outfits, so I decided to read a few more chapters instead.  

In the next few chapters she shared her growing up years, which I found both horrifying and fascinating.  Her relationship with Sonny Halbreich started when she was still a teenager, and the courtship and marriage felt wrong to me.  Betty shares her thoughts through the marriage and its demise, and I couldn't help but feel badly for this woman who seemed to be reaching for affection throughout her younger years and never really finding it.

Of course the meat of the book introduces us to fashion and those who love it.  She worked for well-known designers, and dressed the famous and the not-so-famous, always making her clients feel special and beautiful.  She shares little stories about these clients but never divulges too much.  I liked reading about the time, perhaps my mother's era or grandmother's era, when women wore furs and broaches and carried hankies. Of course the thought of owning any of those things myself causes me to shudder, but it was I time when fashion ruled and women loved it.

There were some parts of the book that dragged a bit for me, but for the most part I enjoyed being a part of her world and encourage you to join her in this well written memoir.

Beverly

​
Publisher - Penguin Books  
Date of Publication - ​September 4, 2014
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Thru My Looking Glass

3/3/2017

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"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” 
   ---Mother Teresa


I am trying to remain objective...really I am.  I understand that the changes in our political arena that are causing my unhappiness are long overdue changes for other people.  I accept that some people believe that taxing the rich to help the poor is socialistic, and although I believe we all have a moral responsibility to help those in need, I see where others might not. 

Although I am vehemently pro some forms of gun control, I can even see the other side's fear of controlling their rights to own weapons.  They believe that when our constitutional rights are slowly weakened, we might end up losing everything we worked to attain, and although I believe that our gun manufacturers upped the constitutional ante when they introduced automatic/semi-automatic weapons to the general public, I try to remain objective.

Please help me understand though, the preoccupation so many people have with how people identify themselves and who others chose to love. Why would our politicians remove a law that allows children to go to the restroom without being bullied or embarrassed.  Transgender people are not interested in using bathrooms to spy on other people's private parts, and bathrooms have private stalls if you are concerned.   

Thousands of people lose their battles with cancer every day.  Our water supply and the air we breath are filled with pollutants that are making us ill.  Gangs roam our inner cities taking pot shots at each other and amassing "collateral" damage in the form of toddlers and young teens. Terrorists, both foreign and home grown, are altering our way of life as they threaten our safety.  How then, do we find the time to spend even one precious moment involving ourselves in someone else's sexual preference or gender identification?

People do have the right to feel uncomfortable around transgender people and/or same sex couples.  They have every right to be uncomfortable around those that are different than they are, and they can even peacefully discuss their discomfort, because they live in a world where freedom of feelings and speech are given.  Under our constitution  however, they do NOT have the right to put their discomfort above other people's rights.  If they are uncomfortable sharing a bathroom with someone, then they need to find another bathroom...the onus is on them.  If they are uncomfortable with same sex marriage, then they can avoid interacting with same sex couples, but they have no right trying to stop others from seeking happiness.  

To find love and personal acceptance in a world that offers up natural disasters as easily as it offers a sunny day should always be the goal...not the problem.  Sharing a word, a smile, a lifetime with another individual is a very personal choice, and that choice should not be affected by anyone else.  That is a given, but what I can not make myself understand is why anyone thinks that they should affect another's choice. 

My choice of books this week included Her Honor by William Coughlin, which centered around another controversial subject.  Kathleen Talbot is a newly appointed judge, and the subject of mercy killing surrounds her.  While I found the book offered a few too many characters, the plot was strong and the controversy quite topical.

I also reviewed The Chocolate Cure (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 4) by
Roxanne Snopek.  It was a light novel featuring Madeline Cash, a realtor who stumbles upon romance while trying to become a better person.  Silly but fun.


​As usual complete reviews of both of these books follow this blog.


Happy reading,


- Beverly

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Her Honor by William J. Coughlin

3/2/2017

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Genre: Legal Thriller
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​Coughlin's books are always written with a bit more literary style than many of his contemporaries.  Her Honor  introduces us to Kathleen Talbot, an attorney with ambitions that can take her to places most female attorneys never dare to think about, and connections that can help her along the way.   When family matters interrupt her political climb, the young prosecutor accepts a judgeship, which takes her off the road to becoming the next governor.  

When Talbot is faced with a controversial mercy killing case, her life becomes a great deal more complicated than she had planned.  Coughlin presents the reader with different sides of this issue in the form of two cases that highlight the heart wrenching decisions that people are sometimes faced with, and the difficulty that being a judge on such a case presents.

While known as an ice queen, Kathleen Talbot swears she will never marry again.  The death of her handsome yet philandering husband came well after the death of the love she felt for him, and she vowed never to marry again. Of course this vow is challenged as we get further into this book.

Coughlin is a good writer, and his knowledge of courtroom proceedings shines through in each of his books.  My problem with this book is the introduction of way too many characters carrying way to many subplots.  It was difficult keeping them straight, and I found myself constantly looking back to find where each character fit into the story.  Ultimately, most of the pieces fit together, and I saw what Coughlin had in mind, but frankly, it just felt like work at times.

That being said, the story is a good one that will definitely get you thinking.  Mercy killing, or euthanasia, is not an easy topic, and this author handles it well.  I am glad I read this book and recommend it to those who like a little thought with their thrillers.

Beverly


Publisher - Endeavour Press 
Date of Publication - November 7, 2016
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The Chocolate Cure (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 4) by Roxanne Snopek

3/2/2017

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Genre: Mystery
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Roxanne Snopek introduces us to Madeline Cash in Grey's Saloon on New Year's Eve.  That was the first Chocolate Shop book I had read, and it took me a bit to warm up to the main character.  The stories take place in a small town in Montana, and although The Chocolate Cure (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 4) can certainly be read on its own, I think a bit of the backstory would have had me warm up to the chocolate martini lover more quickly. 

We learn in chapter one that Maddie is single and surrounded by friends who are enjoying more domestic lives.  Her step-sister, Cynthia is planning a wedding with fiancé Chad, and Maddie feels a bit left out.  After making public her New Year's resolutions (never a good idea), she decides to volunteer at the hospital.  She expected to run errands and deliver flowers, but instead they put her in the E.R. where people are sick and/or bleeding all around her.

She is assigned to keep Chad, a badly injured bush pilot with a severe concussion, calm and awake.  Maddie is a realtor, and Chad has land to sell, so this could be the start of something big. Of course this leads to a romance that makes things a little difficult for our heroine, who is used to breezing through relationships, and it is fun watching their relationship develop into something stronger.

This book was very light reading, mostly character driven, which made it perfect for one of my "I will never fall asleep" nights.  While not necessarily a series that I will rush to catch up on, The Chocolate Cure (Love at the Chocolate Shop Book 4) is a book I can comfortably recommend for those who are looking for pure escapism.

- Beverly


​Publisher - Tule Publishing; 2 edition
Date of Publication - January 4, 2017
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