The Waiting

The Waiting by Cathy LaGrow

Sixteen year old Minka's days were filled with her work on the farm, up early to milk the cows and doing chores throughout the day. In the summer of 1928, she had the rare opportunity to take time away from her chores on the farm and go on a picnic with her sewing class, where she would wear a special dress she had made and socialize with some of the girls who were in her class. Things did not go as planned, as she went for a walk around a pond in the park, a stranger cornered her and then assaulted her.

Minka was young and innocent and thought that babies came by stork, so it was unbelievable and confusing when she discovered that she was pregnant. Whisked away from her family and rumors that would surely come, she stayed with an aunt for a few months and then the "Lutheran House of Mercy" where she was asked to do the impossible, give her precious baby girl away.

This story tells the heartache and longing that Minka felt over the years and how almost 80 years later, the impossible happens.

The Train to Crystal City

The Train to Crystal City

This is the untold story of not just Japanese-Americans held in US Internment camps during WWII, but the largely unknown story of German-Americans and Italian-Americans as well, many of whom had lived in the US for years but had not gained citizenship. Based on unreliable sources and nonexistent evidence, they were taken from their homes and deemed enemies of America and thrown into internment camps.  In addition, this story reveals how their American born spouses and children were also incarcerated.

"The Train to Crystal City" also details a secret prisoner exchange designed and approved by FDR whereby these prisoners were sent to enemy combatant countries along with their spouses and American born children, often against their will, in exchange for key individuals being held behind enemy lines, including downed airmen and US businessmen. Not only did they incarcerate those that were in the United States, but the military also kidnapped foreign nationals---German-Mexicans or Peruvian-Japanese along with their families, with the aid of their respective governments, who were then shipped to the US to be held at the internment camps as potential exchange candidates. Many of those that were eventually exchanged, had never actually been to the war torn countries of their heritage and didn't even speak the language.

Author...Robin King!

We are super excited to have local author, Robin King,
join us for our monthly book club!
We will be discussing her debut book,
"Remembrandt".

  

Tomorrow, February 12th @ 7:00pm
Adults and Teens are invited!

There will be.....
Games...Food....and Fun

 Robin is currently writing a sequel to "Remembrandt" and

she is going to be reading a excerpt from her new book!

Killing Patton

Killing Patton by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Bugard

Killing Patton is really a focus on the last year of WWII and the battles that took place between the Allied Forces and Germany. Not only did the book tell about the battles, but it gives a glimpse of the personalities and relationships between the world leaders of the time and how the personal agendas of leaders like Stalin, Eisenhower, and Montgomery played such a defining role in the strategy that was taken in battles that were fought.  Patton's style of leadership was effective in winning battles on the battlefield, but caused tension with the leaders that surrounded him.

The conspiracy theory of Patton's death is not brought up until the last few chapters of the book. The author does bring up many inconsistencies and questions that were not addressed at the time of his death, but there is not any type of resolution or definitive answer.

The Forgotton

The Forgotten by David Baldacci

Puller is right in the middle of a little R&R after his latest escapade in West Virginia when his father receives a letter from his aunt in Paradise, Florida. His aunt is concerned about some "strange happenings" in her neighborhood. Puller decides a visit to his aunt is in order and heads to Florida for a long overdue visit and to see if he can put her mind to rest about the strange happenings in her neighborhood. Shortly before he arrives, his aunt accidently drowns in her backyard fountain.

Puller is suspicious of the accidental drowning and starts an unofficial investigation of his own. As he starts to dig into the circumstances and happenings in his aunt's neighborhood, he begins to suspect that all is not well in Paradise.

The book is a little too much like Lee Child's Reacher character, but was still an enjoyable read.