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40x40

TravelersWife4Life (31 KP) rated Oliver the Ornament Boxed Gift Set in Books

Feb 24, 2021  
Oliver the Ornament Boxed Gift Set
Oliver the Ornament Boxed Gift Set
Todd M. Zimmermann
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<i>Oliver the Ornament </i>touched me in ways I cannot even explain. From the feel of the paper to the colorful illustration, to the thoughtful words. This book pulls you in and stays with you long after you have read it. Todd M. Zimmermann did a phenomenal job with the ideas he conveys in this book and I know it will be one I pass down for many generations to come.

   When I first picked up <i>Oliver the Ornament </i> to read, I expected just another book about Christmas. What I got was so much more. Oliver pulled me into his story with his friends and family so much so that by the time I was done I could not stop thinking about my own cherished Christmas ornament memories. The story was easy to read, although more of a 7+ age range in terms of page length, but so engaging and colorful. I loved the page layouts and enjoyed the twists the author/illustrator used to interactively engage with the audience. The themes of always having something positive to say to others, the consequences of bullying, and remembering to hold on to memories no matter how small they may seem combined made this an endearing story. I also am thankful for the author's thoughtfulness in providing a place to write my own ornament stories in the back of the book. But I cannot forget one of the most important interactive aspects of the story, Oliver the ornament himself! He is well made, heavy-duty, and when I look at my tree now, I am reminded that <i>“Every Ornament Tells A Story”</i>.

This is one of my favorite Christmas stories ever as it encourages remembrance, communication between parents and their kids, and the themes of forgiveness, dealing with bullying, and the art of storytelling. I <b>HIGHLY</b> recommend this book for any age to read and enjoy. 5 out of 5 stars.

*I volunteered to read this book in return for my honest feedback. The thoughts and opinions expressed within are my own.
  
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ClareR (5945 KP) rated The Hiding Game in Books

Sep 8, 2019 (Updated Sep 9, 2019)  
The Hiding Game
The Hiding Game
Naomi Wood | 2019 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
A completely engrossing novel about Weimar, Bauhaus and complicated relationships
The Hiding Game is set mostly in the period between the two World Wars at the Bauhaus art school. This was a time of great change in Germany, both politically and artistically. Paul Beckermann starts his study at Bauhaus in 1922, and forms one of a group of six friends. He falls in love with the unobtainable Charlotte, a young woman from Czechoslovakia, but she loves Jenö, who in turn is loved by Paul’s best friend Walter. It seems like an impossible love triangle (or even a square?!). These strong feelings lead to betrayal in a time that it was very easy to utterly destroy lives. The six friends drift apart, mainly out of necessity (Bauhaus was not liked at all by the traditionalists in the National Socialist party), but also they just couldn’t be together anymore.

Paul, as an older man living in England, looks back at this period in his life and how it went tragically wrong. Not all of the six friends were as fortunate as he was.

It’s a heartbreaking and also a suspenseful novel. Someone with only a limited knowledge of this period will know of the kind of tragedy that could befall people then. Paul’s guilt and sadness are palpable throughout the book, and I really felt for him. This isn’t really a book where the characters find some sort of forgiveness for themselves - there is none to find. Terrible things happened, and the survivors had to find a way to live with themselves afterwards.

I loved the details about Bauhaus. I did some study on it during my German degree, and it filled in some gaps in my knowledge (there are quite a few gaps to fill when you did that degree 25 years ago!), and I’m always on the lookout for books set in Germany, especially those with a good helping of history (this has it in spades!). And for me, this really didn’t disappoint. I loved it, and I’ll be recommending it to friends (ex-German degree friends as well!).

Many thanks to NetGalley and Picador for my copy of this wonderful book.