Cozy Rainy Day...

Today the weather is cold and wet outside, which is so nice for a change...When I woke up I just longed to  cozy up by the fire in my jammies and fuzzy socks while maybe sipping on some warm cocoa, curled up with a good book!! ahhh heaven!!! Then I got to thinking....what book would I read? It's been a little while since I've carved out time to start a good book. Then I remembered this book:

(Overview from the back cover:)

On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood.  Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared.  It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard.  So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini.  In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails.  As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile.  But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater.  Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion.  His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

In her long-awaited new book, Laura Hillenbrand writes with the same rich and vivid narrative voice she displayed inSeabiscuit.  Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

I chose this book as a part of our ward book club that I hosted in February and I'm so glad I did! I can honestly say it was one of the most engaging and passionate discussions we have ever had (and for once I ACTUALLY started and finished the book before - yay!!) I would highly recommend reading this book!!

Fascinating, sad, informative, uplifting, shocking, funny, and revealing are all words that come to my mind when I think about how this book made me feel. Laura Hillenbrand is a great writer, she was able to weave a story together that reads like a novel even though it is non-fiction so it is easy to get through.  

 When I was younger, I LOVED  reading young adult novels of all genres EXCEPTones relating to war — (with the exception of stories that generally took place during the Holocaust and focused on the impact of the Nazis). But, until now, I’d never been interested in or read any stories about the Japanese and the stories that were produced from that side of the war.

"Unbroken" is one of those stories that sheds light on some very dark days that seem to be over looked by other atrocities of war. This story goes in depth on the affects that war has on the human spirit...both the good and the ugly. 

In it, Laura Hillenbrand, the author of "Seabiscuit,"  (which I haven't read, but now I plan to)  tells the story of Louie Zamperini (now 95) a former Olympic runner who became a bombardier with the air force after the start of the Second World War. During a mission, his plane crashed at sea, and he was eventually captured by the Japanese and spent the remainder of the war in Japanese POW camps. The book covers his amazing  life story from birth to present day and takes you through some really powerful and heart wrenching aspects of war. It was so eye opening for me. I have never been a lover or avid student of world history but this book was fascinating to me and an excellent reminder of the cost of defending our nation.

I am an on again, off again avid reader...I find that when I get into a book, I have a hard time doing anything else until I get through it! I literally lose myself in the book! Which is really hard to do as a Mama with constant demands and interruptions . So when I do get the chance to read, I really try to chose my books carefully and if I'm not interested in them right away- I give up. This was one of those worthwhile, glad I spent the time reading it  kinds of books. If you are looking for a good read- try this one! You won't be disappointed! 

Shortly after sending the kiddos off to school, I got a call from a realtor wanting to show our house in 30 minutes (yay...but yikes!) so my little cozy, reading fantasy quickly faded...Darn it! Are you reading anything or have you read anything recently that you would recommend?