VUELO 19 by José Antonio Ponseti
Vuelo 19 is a book written by José Antonio Ponseti that takes the mysterious disappearance of Flight 19 at the end of the II World War as the central theme of its story.
The protagonist of the narrative is George Paonessa, an American soldier who was flying in the lost aeroplane on his way home. Nonetheless, George is alive. He is in California and recalls absolutely nothing of what happened. He only knows that he managed to survive. Therefore, he decides to send a telegram to his brother: "You have been wrongly informed about me, I am very much alive".
From this point onwards, the author recounts the events that led to this fateful event, using time jumps that allow him to explain the memories that the protagonist slowly begins to have. By doing so, the author creates two timelines through which he tells us what happened on the day of the tragedy and, at the same time, explains how the protagonist was able to survive.
This is a book based on real events: on 5th December 1945, a patrol consisting of five aircrafts took off on a military mission and disappeared without leaving a trace. Many explanations have been given in order to explain the disappearance of the aircrew, but the truth is that to this day we still do not know for sure what happened.
The author creates a story of intrigue and mystery with many moments in which the anguish is present, but he does it in such a way that you cannot help but want to keep reading. The way of writing, as well as the way the story is handled so well, keeps the reader's eyes glued to the paper throughout the story just to find out what happened.
Personally, what I liked the most about this novel is that you can tell that the documentation process that the author followed in order to be able to write this story was excellent. In addition, at the end of the book there is an author's note in which he explains his process to know the whole story, so you can know which facts are real and which are fictitious in the narrative you have just read.
In conclusion, I would say that it is a very well written story that I would recommend to anyone who likes mystery stories and is interested in this type of historical military settings.
THE SECRET LIFE OF SARAH BROOKS
Sarah Brooks was 16 years old when she was found dead. She was naked and hanging from a tree.
She lived in a small and quiet town called Stonheaven in USA.
During the investigation, the police discovered that Sarah had many secrets.
Sarah was in love with her history teacher and they had a secret relation, but she didn’t want to make problems for him, so she broke up with him. At the time of her death, she had a relation with a classmate, but her close best friend's brother was in love with her, but she didn’t love him.
The police had many suspects and the people in the town were scared, because nothing ever happened in town as quiet as that, so they wanted justice for Sarah.
There were many fights between the neighbors and the suspects and it was very difficult for the police to find out the culprit.
Days passed and the police questioned many people until they closed the circle in a person.
The person was her close best friend's brother, because he was jealous and it made him feel inferior, so he killed her, so she wouldn't be with anyone.
LOS VENCEJOS by Fernando Aramburu
Los vencejos is a common story about an ordinary person surviving in our more and more dehumanized society.
Toni, a philosophy teacher, sick to death of an unbearable routine, considers that it is time to go, and sets a date to take his own life. Being divorced recently and having raised his son already, he evaluates his life and concludes that all is done, and if he commits suicide, not many friends will miss him. Teaching had been the meaning of his whole life, but monotony was sitting in class as a new student, and it casts a shadow over him. Thus, Toni is determined to put an end to his feelings, but unexpectedly, Toni discovers many issues which had gone unnoticed to him until that shocking moment, and a plethora of feelings emerges and turns the tables, not all is said and done.
Despite the fact that the topic could seem to be dramatic, Fernando Aramburu provides rhythm and a sort of positivity to the novel. His brilliant way of writing and deep thoughts about life and existence made this book a masterpiece and one of my bedside books.
DON´T LOOK UP by ADAM McKAY
Kate Dibisky is an astronomy student, alongside her astronomy teacher she will discover a new comet. There are only two problems, this comet will collide with The Earth in 6 months and the second problem is that even the American Government doesn't care about its imminent destruction. After that they start a media tour around the United States of America in which they start to be taken seriously, but there is another issue, after an interview on national television they are branded as crazy people so all the movement and the pressure which they generated in the US Government disappear. All the serious movement that they created starts to become a viral movement taken as a joke, the influencers start to laugh about it, the people make fun of the astronomers and there is also a song called just like the new movement “Don't Look Up”. Months go by and the comet gets closer and closer and now it's taken seriously, the government now asks the astronomers for a solution and they give it to them, but another time they are taken as a joke and they do whatever they want. The astronomers, knowing what is going to happen, go all at the same time to a dinner, and in the middle of it they get killed by the impact of the comet.
The Fourth Monkey by J. D. BARKER
The Fourth Monkey is the name given by the police to a serial killer. This murderer has been killing people for five years and his identity has not been known yet. One day, the detective Sam Porter is called because they have found the death body of a person that could be the 4MK (fourth monkey). When he arrives they find a final message that proves that there is still one last victim. Sam discovers, as well, the 4MK’s personal diary.
After performing the autopsy and connecting together some clues they conclude that the 4MK is still alive. Sam would need to enter in the mind of a serial killer using his diary, understanding how hard his life has been. With this information and some clues that the fourth monkey leaves, Sam will have to solve the last case, for now, of this serial killer.
This book is the first of a trilogy based on the story of this murderer. So, spoiler, the story doesn't end with this book. I like this type of books, thrillers or police novels, that keep you intrigued until the end. So if you want to read this book you should be fond of this type of novels. If you want to start in this reading field I don’t recommend you this novel, because I think that is a little bit gore to rookies’ readers.
THINGS FALL APART
Chinua Achebe, renown Nigerian writer is the creator of Things fall apart (1956), representative work of African postcolonial literature. Not that I would call it a light summer read, but most definitely enjoyable and enriching any time of the year.
Set in Umuofia, a village in the Southeast of current Nigeria right before British colonisation, Achebe exhaustively depicts the daily life, customs, and religious culture of its members. Okonkwo, strong traditional man who had earned the respect of the whole village must go into exile with his family after committing a crime. Meanwhile, the mythical white men had started making timid apparitions in the surroundings. When Okonkwo is back from exile the white men are stablished in Umuofia and have spread the word of a new God, menacing stability, and the world as they knew it.
The plot seems slow at first, yet it evokes the occurrence of many daily events in the Igbo culture. However, this harsh and true story turns moving and uncomfortable at the same time as we all know the sequels of European colonisation in Africa. The novel is a realistic portrayal of the process of colonisation in Achebe’s land told through the voice of the peoples who suffered the process and the outcomes.
No wonder the novel has become an important contribution to modern African literature and one of the most influential works of the 20th century. It has been awarded on many occasions and it has given well deserved recognition to Achebe as a writer of paramount importance. Things fall apart is definitely well worth reading if interested in postcolonial literature and broadening your own literary horizons.
EL TIEMPO ENTRE COSTURAS by MARÍA DUEÑAS
The book’s histoy takes place in the 20th century. The book is about Sira's life. She had the typical life of women of that time. She was young, pretty, hard-working and had many qualities. She lived with her mother in Madrid, Spain and they worked together in a sewing repair shop. Also, Sira had a boyfriend, a good, honest and hard-working man. He loved her very much and he planned a commun live in the future. One day they went to buy a typewriter at a store together. She met a man, the shop assistant there and she loved at first sight. She was crazy about the man, and one day she went with him to Tánger. She was very happy in this city at the beginning, but she had a problem and she was left alone, without money and ill. During those years it was the second world war in Europe and it began the war civil spanish.Sira had a very special, dangerous and brave work relation in both wars This is a book full of love, heartbreak, adventures, fashion, war and peace. You will love the story and you will not be able to stop reading it. This is my favorite book of this summer.
MAR FERNÁDEZ
LA CHICA DEL TREN BY PAULA HAWKINS
In July of 2013, Rachel Watson is a female on a locomotive, a.k.a. a girl on a train. She rides the commuter rail to and from London every day for work (or so she says). While on the train, Rachel engages in hardcore people-watching and conjures up a perfect fantasy life for one couple she is totally obsessed with.
LA MEMORIA SECRETA DE LAS HOJAS“
La memoria secreta de las hojas”, in its original version “Lab Girl”, is an autobiographical book by the biologist Hope Jahren.
The book has three parts:
- “Roots and Leaves” relates Hope’s childhood and her first contact with nature.
- “Wood and Knots” describes her experiences as a young biologist and university professor.
- “Flowers and Fruits” deals with the author as an adult woman in her personal and working life.
In addition, she writes about the difficulties of research and the sexism that female scientists suffer.
“Lab Girl” is a gorgeous book about scientific work and nature, as well as about enthusiasm and passion for what you want to achieve in life.
LOS FUTBOLÍSIMOS BY ROBERTO SANTIAGO
This is the book that most like to me read because It talks always about football.
There was a group of Friends that play football against other teams so i imagined me and my Friends playing this games.
I think that persons who loves football because I think that they can catch ideas from this book and at the same time they are reading a book that is good for ours.
MIENTRAS LOS DEMÁS BAILAN
This summer I read a historical novel writing by Angela Vallvey.
The meat of this book is focused on the Isabel story. She was pregnant and does not want to reveal the name of the father. Her own brother forces her to get married Jacob Cantor a german with a dark past. After the wending she has to go live a town far from Madrid, she has to lead a new life.
What I liked more was the description of te time and what I liked less was that the novel is a bit slow.
ALONE IN BERLIN BY HANS FALLADA
The main characters of this novel are Otto and Anna Quangel, a Berlin couple trying to survive in the middle of a Nazi regime.
Although they have always complied with the norms and have never faced authority, the death of their only son at the front causes them to completely change their attitude and implement a plan of resistance against the government. So, they begin to write and distribute postcards against Hitler all over Berlin, with the intention that they be read by people like them in order to pass from hand to hand and to change the mentality of all those who still live deceived and afraid and support Hitler.
I recommend reading Alone in Berlin for its historical value. Furthermore, it shows us that there were more people than we believe that ,in the way that it could and even without having passed into history, it opposed the Nazi regime.
The curious incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon
Never before had I felt so attracted by a story like this. It caches your attention from the very beginning. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is a murder novel written by the british novelist Mark Haddon. It is told in the first person by fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone
Christopher Boone has a psychological disorder called Asperger´s. He lives with his father in Swindon . His life was running smoothly until he sees Wellington (his neighbour`s dog) with a garden fork through his chest on her front garden. Christopher decides to investigate who is to blame for the murder in the style of his favourite detective, Sherlock Holmes.
As he was making progress of his murder investigation, he discovers a box on top of his father's wardrobe, Christopher realises that his life isn't what he thought it was.
The book certainly lived up to my expectations and I think it is hilarious and heart-breaking at the same time. The novel offers a big insight into the mind of someone with autism.To my surprise, the more I got to know Christopher the more I began to think of Asperger’s and autism spectrum disorders something really unknown to me.
I definitely recommend that you add this highly-entertaining book to your collection. You would love Christopher and his logical view of the world and the inability to tell lies along with the way he portrays the world.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by HARPER LEE
I have decided to write a review about this book because nothing is like it is supposed to be. Last day in class we were speaking about appearances and whether or not we have to follow our first impressions.
Almost everybody knows the plot of this book specially due to the film, but after reading different reviews I have to say that I have discovered that we can see this book from another point of view. In any case, to kill a mockingbird; written by Harper Lee, is about Atticus Finch, who appears as an unconventional hero and role model due to his morality rather than his physical capabilities and the child’s eye view of a father’s stand against racial injustice in the deep south of the mid-1930s.
Nevertheless, Atticus is essentially a man of his time. A man who is on the side of the law and a firm believer in American justice, rather than on the side of Robinson or an early champion for race equality.
The people of Maycomb are essential good, Atticus says, urging his children to respect their racist neighbours and to put themselves in the skins of the lynch mod that comes for Robinson. But, they remain faithful to their principles and decide for themselves what and who is right eventually.
Harper Lee offers us a compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving story, that takes readers to the roots of human behaviour from innocence to violence and from humor and love to hatred and death.
I highly recommend this Pulitzer Price winning book , regarded as one of the best and most important American novels ever written.
MATILDA by ROALD DAHL
The book I read was Matilda, wroten by Roald Dahl in 1988.
This history is about a special girl called Matilda Wormwood, who has powers. One of them is that she can move objects with her eyes and another is that when she was 3 years old, she could read and she loved it. But the problem were her parents, they didn´t want to buy books for his daughter, because this was a nuisance, they prefered that she watched TV. Then, Matilda decides to go to the library to read.
When the girl started to school, had more knowledge than her partners, and her teacher wanted to pass her to the next course, but the headteacher didn´t allow it. She was an awful person and a worse teacher, because she threw children out the window and insult them.
In view of this, Matilda, with her powers, scared the headteacher, and she desappeared.
ARDERÁS EN LA TORMENTA by JOHN VERDON
I started reading this book when I was pregnant, and I hadn´t finished it. Due to have to doing the review, I´ve just finished it!
Arderás en la tormenta (in English: White River Burning), is a crime thriller that belongs to a books´ series in which Gurney Detective (a ´retired´policeman and a private detective) tries to find out who the murderer is.
In this case, in a racial conflict and police corruption, there have been a lot of murders in White River. It began whith a police´s murder on the anniversary of a murdered black motorider.
Nothing is what it seems with David Gurney, always with the help of his lovely wife, Madeleine and his friend, John Hardwick
For my opinion, it´s an entertaining book and I recommend all John Verdon´s books, from the first, and for me, the best: Sé lo que estás pensando (Think of a Number)
IN VALERIA'S SHOES by Elisabet Benavent
After the success of her first book, Valeria has left her job and now her life is stay at home trying to write, but without ideas. The life with her husband isn´t as beautiful as before because Adrián only has time to work. Valeria discovers that she isn’t happy thanks to Victor, who’s a guy she meets at a party with her friends.
Valeria’s friends tell their stories, their lives, works and problems in love. Lola is an independent and strong woman, but everyone have some weakness. Nerea, her life follows the same way and she’s a calm person. Carmen is a scared girl but she wants to enjoy life.
They demonstrate the union of friendship and that life isn’t easy, it’s important to make decisions to be happy.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling is the first of the seven books that tells the story of an orphan who discover at the age of 11 that he is a wizard, and he is invited to join Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he will not only learn to use magic, but he will also be involved in a deep mystery from which he will not be able to escape. A perfect book for children and not so children to enter the world of fantasy.
Y EL GANADOR DE LA ACTIVIDAD "SUMMER READS / SOMMERLEKTÜRE/ LECTURES D´ETÉ" ES "ANA ISABEL VILLAR MORÁN" CON SU LECTURA "WHITE KING" by JUAN GÓMEZ JURADO. ENHORABUENA Y GRACIAS POR PARTICIPAR.