We Band of Angels

We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Bataan by the Japanese by Elizabeth M. Norman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once I found out that one of the women captured during World War II by the Japanese in the Philippines was from my own small town of Lonaconing, it was a given that I would read this book. Ninety-nine Navy and Army nurses who were never before exposed to the brutal conditions of war did not realize what was in their future when they signed up for the almost exotic life of hospital nursing, tennis matches, and cocktails. How these women survived is an amazing feat of heroics. The book contains excerpts of diaries, snippets of interviews, and many American and Japanese photos of the nurses on duty before the war, open jungle hospitals, internment camps and starvation, and later ceremonies honoring the women. The author continued the story long after their release from the POW camp. A must read for anyone going into nursing or interested in World War II facts and information.

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falling together

Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The first day of college is always a wee bit traumatic. Finding and connecting with a new friend is great and bonding with two is even better! So when fate brought Pen, Cat, and Will together in a small bathroom, their friendship was obviously meant to be and the threesome stays rock strong until adult reality hits - Cat gets married and Pen and Will are just an uncomfortable twosome. Vowing never to contact each other again, the three stay apart until many years later - Cat summons them both with an out-of-the-blue email. Suddenly Pen and Will are jetting across the country and heading to the Philippines in search of the elusive, tiny Cat.

A wonderful, anytime read, I have only read two books by this author and loved them both! Her characters, who talk hilariously to themselves, are so interesting and deep that you would want to friend them for life! This is a story of loss, love and deep friendship that turns into love...

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