From the TBR Shelf #45: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (2011) by Erik Larson

Having already listened to Devil in the White City and Thunderstruck, I knew that In the Garden of Beasts would be a gripping, compelling narrative. I mean, that's what you should expect from Erik Larson.

Of course, I wasn't disappointed. And while I've read a ton of WWII and Holocaust histories, literary nonfiction, and fiction, In the Garden of Beasts offers yet another, and fascinating, perspective on the build-up to war in the heart of Germany.

Random Recommendation Guest Post: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

This recommendation comes from Karena Fagan. You can follow her on Tumblr and on twitter @KarenaFagan.



Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

"Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie illuminates a seminal moment in modern African history: Biafra's impassioned struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this tumultuous decade alongside five unforgettable characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for Odenigbo, a university professor full of revolutionary zeal; Olanna, the professor’s beautiful young mistress who has abandoned her life in Lagos for a dusty town and her lover’s charm; and Richard, a shy young Englishman infatuated with Olanna’s willful twin sister Kainene. Half of a Yellow Sun is a tremendously evocative novel of the promise, hope, and disappointment of the Biafran war."