June - Cryptography and Code Breaking

Cryptography and codebreaking is a passion of mine. I love puzzles of all sorts, but this kind best by far. So please join me in reading about the subject. Great books can be found in most genres: nonfiction, mystery, thriller, sci fi, and fantasy.


Resources: https://www.librarything.com/tag/cryptography, https://www.librarything.com/tag/cryptography,+fiction

Don't forget to update the wiki: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Reading_Through_Time_Challenge#Topic.2FT...

A category I have never read before--I don't think!

I have a recommendation!

The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone.

And, funny thing! I just acquired this book yesterday:
Inferno by Dan Brown.

I don't see anything else on my tbr that fits, so that will likely be what I read.

Would a book about Native American code talkers during WWII fit this category?

>5 marell: Absolutely!

I may try a light mystery for this one. Mr. Churchill's Secretary This is the first in the Maggie Hope series. Evidently the main character has exceptional codebreaking skills. Anyone have opinions?

I have a book on my Kindle called Footprints - Secret Lives at Bletchley Park by Philomena Liggins that is about the code breakers during WW II that I am planning to read for this theme.

>7 beebeereads: I've read the first few in that series. They're enjoyable, light period pieces.

>5 marell: I think the Navajo Code Talkers would fit right into this category!

I have The Bletchley Girls somewhere on my shelves. I hope that would fit the theme.

>11 Familyhistorian: Of course! As would Hidden Figures.

>12 majkia: Hmm, I never thought of Hidden Figures. That is also on my shelves.

Along with the novel about code breakers in WW II, I heard about a non-fiction read that I am going to request from the library for this theme as well. The Code Girls by Liza Munday. Looking forward to it.

I can recommend a good YA book, Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two by Joseph Bruchac.

Kate Atkinson, a long time fav author of mine, has a new book out called transcription about a young British woman who is hired to transcribe conversations between the spy and his clients' during WWII. Its not a topic I usually am interested in but she makes it well worth the read.

I have Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and it is billed as a code breaking book. Since this is what is on my shelf I will read this.

Just bumping this up since June is just around the corner...

>18 majkia: :-)

Changing gears as I thought I had Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore on my ereader--but it's on my wish list instead! So, I did find a book on my ereader that I think will work, Code Name: Lise, WWII's most highly decorated woman.

Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy by Larry Loftis was a very good non-fiction book about spies and codes during WWII. This is the story of Odette Sansom and her bravery under very gruesome and cruel circumstances. She had all 10 fingernails and toenails removed by a pliers bearing Nazi in an attempt to get her to give up information; she did not. She spent just about 1 year in three different concentration camps, including Ravensbruck where she was so starved the result was irreparable heart damage, although she lived to be 86. Most of this story takes place in and near Cannes, France, from 1940-1945 during German occupation. She was awarded the St. George Cross. The award was not without controversy, even until the 1960's due to an adulterous affair during the time she served. A very good read with great documentation. I highly recommend this book. 384 pages 5 stars CAT: Wizard (non-fiction)

I just realized that "Desperate Fortune" by Susanna Kearsley actually fits this theme. Kearsley divides her story between the 18th Century Jacobites in France and Italy and the 21st Century France. Sara Thomas takes on the task of breaking the cypher Mary Dundas used in her diary during her journey across France and into Rome in 1732.

Mary was left with family (abandoned in her mind) when her Father and brothers followed 'King James' into exile in Rome. Seemingly forgotten, Mary grows up to be a proper young lady, longing for Paris and adventure. Thrilled to suddenly have her oldest brother remember her and come for her, she discovers all too soon that he will leave her again. Instead, she will begin the adventure of a life time!

>22 cfk: Thanks for posting that, as I never would have considered Desperate Fortune for this theme. Since I haven't found another book on my tbr for cryptography, I might be able to read the novel by Kearsley this month.

Inferno / Dan Brown
4 stars

When Robert Langdon wakes up in a hospital, he doesn’t realize he’s in Italy and when he finds that out, he has no recollection of why he’s there or how he got there. He quickly finds out someone has shot him in the head, and whoever it is is still coming after him! He and a doctor helping him escape together and try to find out why he is there and why someone is trying to kill him.

I quite liked this. It did slow down for me in the middle, but it picked up again at the end. I almost never say this, but I was, in this instance, cheering for the bad guy!

I have finished Footprints - Secret Lives at Bletchley Park by Philomena Liggins but have nothing good to say about it. This was an amateurish story that I am sure will be forgotten very quickly. Thank heavens I decided to read another book on the subject, as this second book, Code Girls by Liza Mundy is a far superior read.

>25 DeltaQueen50: The Bletchley Girls were given a few pages in my read for this topic!

I have completed my read of Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy and this book delivered everything that my previous read did not. Meticulous research, historically interesting and full of fascinating details about wartime life in Washington D.C. as well as the deeds of these unsung heros.

>26 Tess_W: I am definitely taking a book bullet for Code Name: Lise, Tess. And I bet the details about Bletchley Park in that book were much more interesting than the ones in "Footprints".

>28 DeltaQueen50: Interesting, but only amounted to about 1 page!

Good book, breaking a hidden code is definitely central to crisis/resolution of this one.

I decided to read Hidden Figures for this month. It was interesting to read the book after seeing the movie as the focus was so different. The book covered a much longer time period. By mistake, I purchased the young readers’ edition, so I am not sure that I got the whole story.

>31 Familyhistorian: Shoot! That's too bad you got the young edition! I also thought the focus was quite different between book and movie.

>32 LibraryCin: It was a lot different focus but I wish I had read the grown up edition.

I read Code Talker: The First and Only Memoir By One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII by Chester Nez. I listened to the audio version, which was well done. At the end of the book, there was an interview with Chester, though mostly repetitious of what was already covered in the book, it was interesting to hear him speak his first code. I

I read the YA novel Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac. The book covers the protagonist’s life from his days at boarding school to the end of the war. He is a grandfather telling his story to his grandchildren. This novel has aroused my interest in the subject of the Native American code talkers. The book contains a bibliography with suggestions for titles not only about code talkers but about the Navajos and World War Two.

And thank you, clue, for the recommendation.

Well, June is coming to a close and I was able to sneak in A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley. It has a dual-timeline and I enjoyed the contemporary story that contained the codebreaking theme, in addition to the historical story. Thank you to CFK, for mentioning the book (mssg 22).

I'm most of the way through Anathem. I confess, I love Stephenson's works. Geeky math major here.

I picked Rolf Hochhuth's Alan Turing, but didn't like it. The story is written as a journal by one of Turing's co-workers, but the writing was so disjointed that I had to re-read sentences, and the ideas put on paper here sound more like those of Hochhuth instead of an Englishwoman.

watch the movie with Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, The Imitation Game. Based on the biography of him, Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges which might be more interesting than the nove lyou read.

>39 cindydavid4: Thanks for reminding me of that!

Finished Mr. Churchill's Secretary at the end of June. Meh...This was only a so-so read for me. I found the plot intriguing, but the style was less than I am accustomed to reading and the characters were interesting but not fleshed out enough. Also there were a number of anachronistic references in language and attitude. The cryptography was interesting, but only showed up to carry the plot forward...not much in depth which is ok for a cozy mystery. Don’t think I’ll continue with the series unless someone wants to convince me otherwise.

Finished Anathem and enjoyed it tremendously.

I agree with you re Mr. Churchill’s Secretary. I wanted to like it, but, meh is right. I had no desire to continue with the series.