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.

From the TBR Shelf #40: Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Thunderstruck (2006) by Erik Larson

I was blown away by the brilliance of Larson's The Devil in the White City when I listened to it about a year and a half ago, so I knew that Thunderstruck was going to be great, too. Here, Larson tells two fascinating stories that converge at the mother of all low-speed chases (by ship). On the one hand, we learn about Guglielmo Marconi (1874-1937) and how his uprbinging and education led him to experiments in wireless technology, something that many other scientists and researchers were interested in at the turn of the twentieth century. On the other hand, we learn about the strange, tragic life of Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen (1862-1910), a practicioner of homeopathic medicine and later employee at various patent medicine companies.

Rachel's Random Recommendation #26: The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, & Madness at the Fair That Changed America (2003) by Erik Larson

Ok, everybody, I give you permission to tell yourself that this work of nonfiction is actually a novel. Go on, I understand. I had the same urge myself when I finished it.

Because who wants to think about a crazy, psychopath serial killer roaming the grounds of the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and luring his female victims into his "hotel" where he subsequently murdered them? Ok, he didn't necessarily lure women from the fair itself, but he did capitalize on the massive influx of people that turned Chicago into a boisterous, crowded free-for-all at a time when the U.S. was showcasing its technological and scientific innovations.