Hilda Gerarda van Stockum (9 February, 1908 – 1 November, 2006) was a writer and artist from the Netherlands. Ms. van Stockum is known for her book The Winged Watchman. Books by Hilda Gerarda van Stockum* 1) She was born in Rotterdam to a Dutch Royal Navy officer. 2) Her grandfather, Charles Boissevain, was the editor of an influential Dutch newspaper. 3) Her brother was famous mathematician Willem Jacob van Stockum, not only was he a pioneer of the then new theory of gravitation (general relativity), he also volunteered to be a pilot for the Allies in WWII where he unfortunately found his death during a bombing run. 4) Her husband, Ervin Ross Marlin, was a friend of her brother. Together the couple had six children. 5) As a child she lived in the Netherlands and Ireland. Later she lived in the US, Canada, and England for many years. 6) A Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic (1935), was Ms. van Stockum’s first book and won honors from the Newbery Medal committee. 7) Her best known book, The Winged Watchman, describes true events of how windmills were used for signaling the Dutch Resistance during World War II. 8) In 1983 she was elected to the Honorary Council of the Royal Hibernian…

I enjoyed reading about each of the well-developed characters and their back-story. Along with the creative story, the reader gets a sense of 17th Century Holland and what it was like to live during that time.

Anne Frank’s Diary was published in 67 languages and is considered one of the best first-hand experiences of the war from a unique Jewish perspective.

The book is very dense with lots of eyewitness accounts to the battles from the average soldiers as well as civilian locals.

Pepper: A History of the World’s Most Influential Spice by Marjorie Shaffer is a non-fiction book tracing history through the trade of black pepper

About: House of Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt is a historical fiction book taking place in Amsterdam. This is a sequel to the well received Rocamaora: Man of Masks which I wrote about last month. 346 pages Publisher: Raven’s Wing Books (November 19, 2012) Language: English ISBN-10: 1618070916 My rat­ing for House of Rocamora — 5 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format* More Books by Don­ald Michael Platt Thoughts: House of Rocamora by Donald Michael Platt (web­site) might not be as exciting as its predecessor (meaning there is no castle intrigue or daring escapes from under the Inquisition’s nose) however the account of the daily life of Isaac (previously Vicente de Rocamora) is just as an engrossing read. The book creates a vivid picture of the Jewish community in Amsterdam. It was very interesting to read how the Jews lived and interacted with each other and the Dutch people at the time. The protagonist has become Jewish but not an observant Jew and the community somewhat resents him for that, add that to the fact that he was a priest and even considered for the post of head of the Spanish Inquisition and you can understand their mistrust. This is an excellent companion to Rocamora: Man of Masks, however…

About: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier is a historical fiction novel taking place in 17th Century Holland. The book has fascinating descriptions of the times, how people lived and behaved. 256 pages Publisher: Plume; Deluxe edition (August 30, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0452287022 My rating for Girl with a Pearl Earring – 3 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* More Books by Tracy Chevalier Thoughts: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (website | Facebook | @Tracy_Chevalier)was neither here nor there. The story seems like an episode of the old British drama “Upstairs Downstairs” set in Holland with a coming of age story neatly tucked in it as well. The plot is somewhat interesting with one well developed character (Griet) and none others I cared about. The book is written very well but nothing happens and for awhile I was actually bored. Some of the characters are well developed but I was hoping for Johannes Vermeer’s character to be more in depth. To my disappoint Vermeer played a minor (yet important) part in the book. However, the descriptions of 17th Century Holland, the class system and mercantile society were excellent, which by itself was worth finishing the book. The descriptions of how the paintings were…

Article first published as Book Review: The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva on Blogcritics. About: The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva brings back Israeli spy Gabriel Allon in this seventh installment. This time we find Allon as a weary, tired agent ready to hang up his holster and, unwillingly, accept his fate in management. 385 pages Publisher: Putnam Adult Language: English ISBN-10: 0399154221 My rating for The Secret Servant – 5 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format More Books by Daniel Silva Thoughts: I found The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva (web­site) to be a more current, at least in atmosphere, of the Gabriel Allon series. As usual with the rest of the series, the book is difficult to put down, a fast paced adventure and thriller which brings back familiar characters. The characters age with the books, which I like. None are superheroes, but people with issues and problems who only justify their acts to themselves by holding a high moral ground. However, this high moral ground must be broken from time to time which leaves them feeling confused and filled with regrets. The book is filled with many characters, bumbling politicians, Islamic extremists, non-extremists Islamic people and other hot button issues from current day world. However,…

Captain Stanley Adam Malcom Parker, known as Sammy (S.A.M. Malcom), is a British captain in the Parachute Regiment during World War II. During operation Market he was captured but after attacking an SS officer, was sent to spend the rest of the war in a concentration camp. The same impulsiveness which has gotten him to the camp also helped him to survive.

It is the end of World War II and 14 year old Michiel becomes unwittingly involved with the Dutch Resistance while aiding a wounded British soldier.