The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin

As I mentioned before, a few days ago I picked up a book at the library called The Glimmer Palace. To be honest, I was drawn to it mostly because of the cover...Pretty, no?

This is the official description:

The debauched celebration of the cabaret era. The magical ascent of cinema. The deprivations of WWI and the start of WWII. Set against the rise and fall of Berling and the innovations in art that accompanied it, The Glimmer Palace brilliantly weeaves together the story of one orphan girl's
remarkable journey, from poverty to film stardom, with an illuminating account
of astonishing history.

As the clock chimes the turn of the twentieth century, Lilly Nelly Aphrodite takes her first breath. The illegitimate, orphaned daughter of a cabaret performer, she finds early refuge at a Berlin Catholic orphanage. From there follows a lifetime of reinventions, from orphan to maid, war bride, tingle-tangle nightclub girl, and script typist. Her eventual transformation into one of Germany’s leading silent-film stars, and a partner in a remarkable romance that crosses decades and continents, could ultimately cost her everything she has worked for.

I just finished this book and I must say, I was impressed! It was very well-researched and informative as well as funny, heartbreaking, beautiful, and addicting! I could not put this book down, seriously.

Lilly's ascent from poverty-stricken orphan into infamous film star, which is almost completely rooted in fact, is filled with unexpected twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it all would work out in the end. And let me warn you now: the ending is quite a surprise!

Another thing that really makes this novel intriguiging is the fact that it shows the rise of Hitler from the perspective of a Berlin native. So often today we automatically think of Hitler as this evil Jew-killer, but he spent several years beforehand as an extremely succesful German politician and was revered by his country with near rockstar status. Of course he was! How else do you think he could get them to go along with such an outrageous mission as eradicating an entire people group? That mustached monster had a tongue made of silver, and those Germans ate him up like apple pie.

If you're looking for something lighthearted and whimsical, something fun to read by the pool, then this is not the book for you. BUT, if you're interested in something darker that combines 1920s Hollywood, romance, betrayal, and a city in turmoil in the transition into WWII...then check this shit out. I promise you won't regret it.

Since finishing this, I've also started (and finished) Just Checking by Emily Colas.

A friend loaned this to me but I didn't like it that much. It's a memoir by a woman living with OCD and I found the whole thing really just rather annoying. Most of the book was just her describing various episodes where her OCD impeded on her role as a wife and mother, but it did redeem itself with the last paragraph...

Which brings me to the point of my story. You can mind fuck something until it makes you crazy and it's all wasted energy. Spending so much time in your head. Because, the fact is, no matter what spin you choose, you just don't know. You can't know. So go out, have a good time, make the most of your life...Because life's just way too short to bother with such nonsense. Oh, and don't forget to take your medication.

We all need to keep that in mind, I think. (Note to self: call Walgreens and refill prescription ASAP!) As far as book reviews go, though, I'll probably only do whole posts like this for books I really enjoy, but I will also probably feature quotes I particularly like from whatever book I'm reading at the time. I'm a quotes junkie, what can I say. :]