February Commonplace
COMMONPLACE
“Don't ignore the problem, but keep it light. Take action with a smile. Adding tension won’t solve your troubles faster. Even when the problem is hard, it doesn’t need to harden you. Unknot yourself. Body loose, head clear, and then take the first step. Be happy in the doing.” — James Clear
“The world seems to be accustomed to delaying gratification less and less, which means the rewards of delaying gratification grow more and more.” — James Clear
BOOK REPORT
BOOK: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
The Instagram algorithm has figured out my interest in historical fiction, so my feed has been filled with book influencers making recommendations. This book has been a repeat on many accounts. It is listed as a YA (Young Adult) read, but I found it a challenge to keep the characters and details straight. Once I got into the flow of the story (and understood the author’s technique) I enjoyed it immensely. It tells the story of women who work closely with the RAF and become friends during stressful wartime experiences. It gives the reader a glimpse of Nazi interrogation techniques and the activities of the French Resistance. I really enjoyed it.
MOVIE: Nuremberg - Streaming Purchase
I don’t understand why there wasn’t more attention brought to this movie. With the actors listed alone, I would have thought it would have received more attention. I only learned about it about six weeks ago, and I knew I would watch it as soon as it was available. It tells the true story of an Army psychiatrist who is tasked with assessing the mental stability of the captured Nazi officials who were to be tried for war crimes at Nuremberg. (Including Hermann Göring.) I LOVED this movie. There wasn’t a wasted moment or scene in the entire film. Each frame sets up the story. It also provided the necessary backstory and information, so the viewer was well aware of the scene’s significance. In other words, you don’t have to be a WWII expert to understand what was happening. This movie has made my Top 10 list of WWII movies.
The buzz about this movie has been around for months, so I wasn’t surprised when it was nominated for an Academy Award. The movie imagines William Shakespeare’s personal life and family, as well as the inspiration behind the play Hamlet. I really enjoyed the movie. It kept my attention from the first scene, and I never lost interest. I am going to predict an Oscar for Best Performance by a Lead Actress. (The children were really good, too.)
BOOK: The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman
This is another Historical Fiction novel recommended by several online book influencers. It tells the story of a German woman and her experience with the U.S. Eugenics program after she immigrated to America in the early 1930s. She is employed by a distant cousin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and falls victim to forced displacement and separation from her child. This book had me holding my breath several times, and an unexpected twist made it unforgettable.
While working on my list of “Favorite World War (Nazi) Movies,” this title came up in my research, and I realized I had never watched it. I knew it won several Academy Awards, but I was unfamiliar with the story. It is a sweet and sometimes silly depiction of an Italian family separated by the Nazis. It bears little resemblance to reality, but it teaches a lesson. Sometimes humor is the best method to endure horrendous circumstances.
This World War II movie was not the story I was expecting. It’s been on my list for a while, but I thought it was based on another true story of Nazi occupation. This one was fascinating, and the true-life update at the end of the film is very satisfying. It is another movie about the measures we take to endure.
This movie is similar to The Great Escaper, which I liked better. It tells the story of the last survivor of a World War II regiment who travels to France alone to attend the D-Day Anniversary celebrations in Normandy. There was one poignant scene between the Irish Rifleman and a group of German veterans. Both movies are a stark reminder of the inevitable loss of so many veterans who are a part of the Greatest Generation.
