Introducing the Peace Corps Book Review!

I'm out in the campo. There's a lot of time to read, especially when it rains. I've read about 25 books since I came to Paraguay and I recently hauled eight more books back with me from Asuncion.

First up: City of Thieves, by David Benioff. Benioff is the writer behind the adapted screenplays of Wolverine and The Kite Runner. He's also written The 25th Hour and a collection of short stories.

In City of Thieves, Beniov meets Kolya -a Russian soldier - in jail after getting arrested for swiping a knife and some cognac from a dead German paratrooper's body. Instead of shooting them, a Russian general sends them scouring the city for eggs, which he needs for his daughter's wedding cake.

Tragicomic mayhem ensues. This much-touted (I swear I've seen copies of it everywhere) book lives up to its reputation. Cannibals, partisans and a deadly female sniper all enter the fray. Whether expounding on a character's intestinal troubles, the protagonists' problems with a misidentified chicken, or creating the small and painful vignettes of clueless love, Benioff puts his screenplay writing talents to good use here, producing taut, giggle-inducing mirth.

But what is it about the Russian side of World War Two that makes for such interesting reading? I've read and watched countless stories about the Western side of World War Two: dozens of movies from The Longest Day to Saving Private Ryan. Novels like Night Soldiers show that other side of World War Two which never got covered quite as thoroughly in high school history.

That's all I got. Up next: The Boxer Rebellion.