👶👶👶 A Mind of Her Own, by Paula McLain

Paula McClain is known for writing fabulous stories about strong women. This particular one was a short story focused on the headstrong Marie Sklodowska. A Mind of Her Own gives readers a bit of information on her young adult life, and just a peek into her intellect, but focuses mostly on Pierre Curie's unrelenting pursuit of her. Of course, this pursuit ultimately changed her life, and together, their brilliance was forever memorialized in the history books. Overall, it was an interesting historical fiction short story, but I would argue that McLain's full-length novels are certainly richer.

Read 4/24/19

👶👶👶👶 Christmas Eve, 1914, by Charles Olivier

This Audible Original rather surprised me with its profundity. It was a fictional account of the actual events leading up to the Christmas Truce of 1914. Sadly, I had never heard of this most unusual of wartime stories, and was drawn into the lives of these young men as they fought on the front lines of World War I. It was a testament to a bygone era where people were able to set aside their differences in moments of shared deference, and was rather poignant for a short story. I enjoyed Mr. Olivier's fictional interpretation of the events, and felt that he did this historical moment justice. As I have mentioned before, well-written short stories, that have just enough details to satisfy readers' curiosity, impress me to no end. I imagine it is a terribly difficult endeavor to write within the limited constraints of this genre.

Read 12/20/18