CLYDE WISHAM

In late 1942 Guy Sajer, a French boy, was drafted into the German army. His mother being German, the conquerors considered him German and therefore good canon fodder. Truthfully, he went willingly as the war seemed a great adventure to a teenage boy. He didn't realize until he found himself in a nightmare reality that he was going to something closely resembling hell.
Starting in a transport unit and later transferring to a famous attack division (Großdeutschland), he got to experience that terrible war up close and personal. He somehow survived while most of his mates died.
After the war he decided to tell his story. This memoir, one of the best books I have read about the Ostfront, is the result. It is a story of terror, of horror, of depravation, of hunger. It is also a story of resolute courage, of friendship, of joy in victory, of despair in defeat, and of absolute trust in one's comrades.
Be aware that the subject matter is quite disturbing in places and is told in great detail. (I had to take it a little bit at a time.)

[b:The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line 18525889 The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars, #1) Rob Thomas https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394812296s/18525889.jpg 25630244] is a must-read for Veronica Mars fans (which I freely admit to being).The story takes place shortly after the events of the recent Veronica Mars movie. Veronica is still in Neptune where she is running Mars Investigations while Keith convalesces.The central mystery, which is quite well plotted, involves two teenage girls who go missing during “spring break” festivities. The Neptune Chamber of Commerce, having no confidence in local law enforcement, hires Veronica to find them. The story has some really tense and dark moments, but it also has plenty of the trademark Veronica sass.I listened to the audiobook version, which is masterfully narrated by none other than Kristen Bell herself. That was a real plus and I suppose is what pushed the story to five stars for me. Good book.

In her fifth outing, Maisie Dobbs, psychologist and private investigator, journeys to a village in the Kent countryside on assignment to check out a proposed land/business purchase. There she finds deep feelings of distrust toward outsiders and an old, shared secret.
This time Maisie doesn't personally face danger, but she does find a complicated mystery to unravel. At the same time there are big changes in her personal life. It is a busy time for her. As always in this series, the specter of WW1 continues to cast its dark shadow.
3.5 stars rounded up.

[b:Star Island 7908638 Star Island Carl Hiaasen https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320464091s/7908638.jpg 10999224] is another good Carl Hiaasen book. He never disappoints.

It took me a while to get into this story, but it was worth it. TGwtDT is a big, rambling, and ultimately very good and satisfying book. The Swedish name, Men Who Hate Women, is a better match as there are some very evil woman-hating men in the story. The English book takes its name from the dragon tattoo on the back of Lisbeth Salander, one of the two main protagonists. Lisbeth is young, truculent, hyper-intelligent, asocial, relentless – I like her. The other main protagonist, Mikael Blomkvist, is a recently disgraced investigative reporter who is driven to clear his name. They start off with separate stories that merge partway through the book as Lisbeth and Mikael work to solve an old mystery. This book provides memorable characters, danger, mystery, action, and vengeance. What's not to like?