The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius XII, Mussolini, and Hitler

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by David Kertzer, 2022, Audiobook narrated by Arthur Morey, Random House Audio  3.5 stars

In 2020 the Vatican opened up numerous documents in their archives relating to communications and meeting between the Vatican and the Italian and German governments before and during WWII. Kertzer makes extensive use of this new information in his latest book about the history of the Vatican and their dealings. This book paints a very disturbing picture of the Vatican and particularly, Pope Pius XII, and the incidents that took place during that time.

The picture I got of Pius XII from this book was that he was a very weak individual. His main mode of conduct was to curry favor with Hitler and Mussolini to avoid any additional friction between the Catholic Church and the Fascist governments. Pius’ only objection to the anti-Jewish laws was that there was no leeway for baptized Jews and children of mixed marriages. He had absolutely no compassion for any human beings who were outside of the Catholic Church. In fact, one gets the impression that he did not even consider them as human beings. This attitude was, no doubt, the result of the longstanding views of the Church over the centuries vis-a-vis the Jews, but Pius XII was definitely not a person who would speak up on behalf of the Jews.

The book seems well researched and is easy to follow. I did detect a bit of disgust in the narrator’s tone of voice as he read, but I think it would be very difficult for anyone to recite so many failings on the part of the Church and Pius XII without conveying some of one’s personal reactions.

I would recommend this book to anyone to read as it shows how complicit and disgusting the actions (and inactions) of the Vatican and Pius XII were during that time.

Still Life

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by Louise Penny, 2005, Audiobook narrated by Ralph Cosham released in 2014, Macmillan Audio 4.0 stars

This is the first of Louise Penny’s mysteries with Inspector Armand Gamache in the Quebec town of Three Pines. There is an intricate plot revolving around the death of an elderly woman by an arrow shot through her heart. The plot is intricate with many twists and turns and it’s hard to figure out who did it until the end.

What is even more interesting about the book is the characters. The author carefully develops each of them until the reader can almost picture each one’s presence. There is also some humor associated with some of them that is very subtle.

The writing is excellent and the narration is also very good. I look forward to reading (or listening to) more of Penny’s novels.

Fishing for Fun, and to Wash your Soul

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by Herbert Hoover, edited by William Nichols, 1964, Random House, New York 2.5 stars

This book was in a box of books that I inherited from my grandmother back in the 1990’s. I hadn’t read it until recently when I decided to share it with our book club.

The book is a delightful collection of Herbert Hoover’s thoughts on the joys and other aspects of fishing. It’s only 89 pages and it took about an hour to read. The book was published in 1964 which is the same year he died, but I don’t know how it came to be. Perhaps it was a tribute to Hoover? It does contain some ideas that are outdated in 2023 (such as Hoover’s belief that it would be too costly to clean up rivers and streams that are already polluted and the idea that a fisherman should be entitled to catch as much fish as he likes), but most of his thoughts about fishing are valid today.

Anyway, it’s a fun read!

Reinventing American Health Care

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by Ezekiel J. Emanuel, 2014, Public Affairs, A Member of Perseus Book Group, New York 3.5 stars

I noticed this book in my son’s library and thought it would be interesting to read as I didn’t know the details of the American Care Act, known as “Obamacare”, which was passed in 2010. Dr. Emanuel was an advisor to Obama when it was being designed and is a fan of the ACA.

Because the book was published in 2014 and much has happened since then, it is a bit outdated. The Act has been challenged in the courts but was upheld by the Supreme Court as it was determined that it was a tax (something that the administration argued it was not). Also, the individual mandate was subsequently eliminated by Congress. Nonetheless, the ACA is still with us, although enrollment is somewhat less than what Dr. Emanuel was predicting in 2014.

I found the book to be interesting and very readable. The author obviously has an extensive knowledge of the subject and is also quite aware of the political issues related to healthcare reform implementation. He was overly optimistic that the ACA would bring health care costs down in the U.S., but his insight regarding the plan and its implementation was helpful.

I would be interesting to get his current views on the ACA either through reading his more recent publications or communicating with him directly.

Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman’s Skiff

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by Rosemary Mahoney, 2007, Back Bay Books, Little, Brown and Company 3.5 stars

This is a somewhat odd book written, I think, by a somewhat odd woman. Who would want to do what she did? Row down the Nile River by herself in a small fisherman’s skiff? No way!

But, yes, she did it and she describes it beautifully in this book. She befriended or conversed with many native individuals along the way and the conversations are very enlightening. She was particularly interested in the Egyptian and Sudanese views on women, particularly how the men viewed native women versus western women. It is apparently okay to have sex with a western woman but, a Muslim native woman would be shamed and outcast, if not killed, for committing the same acts. She notes the hypocrisy in several of her conversations with male individuals she encounters along her journey.

My only criticism of the book is that it ended so abruptly. At one moment she is rowing down the Nile, fleeing from a pursuer. Then she parks the skiff in the destination city and walks away. I think the book is missing a final chapter where she would offer some final thoughts on her experience and how it affected her after she had a chance to reflect on it. Also, there were very few really exciting things that happened to her, but the great writing and the strange undertaking held my interest.

Ocean State

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by Stuart O’Nan, 2022, Audiobook narrated by Sara Young 2.5 stars 

I borrowed this book primarily because the novel takes place near where we spend our summers in Rhode Island. The book had some interesting aspects as it depicts a murder by someone in the family who is not inclined to violence. As the story unfolds, it becomes increasingly apparent that the perpetrator is a family member. It then devolves into how the murder affects other members of the family and the community.

The audiobook is easy to follow, and the narrator does a good job.

The Dry

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by Jane Harper, 2017, Audiobook narrated by Stephen Shanahan, Macmillan Audio 3.5 stars

A friend recommended books by Jane Harper and I was lucky to be able to borrow this audiobook from my local library using Libby. The setting of this murder mystery in a small town in Australia made it very interesting as the author’s portrayal of the characters and atmosphere was very good. Also, the narration by Stephen Shanahan made it seem even more authentic with his Aussie accent.

The plot was good also as there were actually two plots: the recent murder of a woman and her son followed by the supposed suicide of the husband/father and the drowning death of a young woman many years ago that had not been satisfactorily explained. There are many twists and turns in this novel, but the author manages to hold it all together and keep it interesting.

I have been told that each of Harper’s novels take place in a different place in Australia which makes reading/listening to them even more interesting. I will look forward to picking up another sometime in the future.

The Next Accident

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by Lisa Gardner, 2001, Bantam Books 2.0 stars

This is a typical crime mystery with not much to recommend it. It was an easy read, although sometimes a bit disjointed. The characters and the plot are okay, but not exceptional.

The book is a about an FBI agent whose daughter is killed in an accident which turns out later to have been a murder. His ex-wife is then killed, and he is accused of committing the murder. `The plot revolves around finding the actual murderer.

The 1st Ladie’s Detective Agency

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by Alexander McCall Smith, 2003, Audiobook narrated by Lisette Lecat, Recorded Books 4.0 stars 

This novel is the first in a series of books about a lady who started a detective agency in Botswana. Since we traveled to Africa this last summer and briefly visited Botswana, I decided to check it out. The characters are wonderful, the stories are charming, and the narration is superb. In fact, because of our travel to Africa, I can just picture the main character, Mma “Precious” Ramotswe as if she were in my presence. This is the sixth book I have read this year that is set in Africa, so I feel somewhat immersed in those countries through reading and listening.

I am rating the book as four stars as I enjoyed it so much. I probably won’t read another in the series, however, as I expect that they would be pretty much the same and I do like a lot of variety in my readings.

The Evening and the Morning

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by Ken Follett, 2020, Audiobook narrated by Ken Lee, Penguin Audio 2.5 stars

This book is the prequel to Pillars of the Earth and is the story of Edgar the Builder and his early life before he became the builder of a cathedral.

The story is interesting as it depicts life in late medieval England. It shows the impact of the Church and the political structure on the daily lives of the people.

The story and the characters are, as in Follett’s other novels of this genre, formulaic. There are the good guys (Edgar being the prime example) and the bad guys (Bishop Winston and his family). The struggle is between good and evil and (spoiler alert) how the good guys eventually outwit the bad guys and prevail. It reminds me of the Harry Potter books where each character is type cast as either good or evil.

This book has more sex, brutality, and bad language than I recall in Follett’s previous books in this series. I think I heard an interview with Follett in which he was asked about it. He basically responded that “it’s what sells.” If that’s the case, it’s pretty sad when an author stoops to that level when the focus should be on creating something worthwhile. On the other hand, maybe it contributes to a more accurate depiction of life as it was during that time period in England.

In summary, the book held my interest as Follett certainly can weave a story. It doesn’t, however, stack up to be what I would consider a great book.