Wartime Sisters [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

April 8, 2021

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman
#throwbackthursday

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11 America, Siblings, Complicated Family Drama, Jewish, Secrets

In 2020, I decided to systematically revisit my older review posts and update them. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads. Today, I’m re-sharing a review of Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman.

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for #throwbackthursday.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Sisters…resentment…jealousy…misunderstanding…competition…secrets…

“In the early days of WW11, two estranged sisters are reunited at the Springfield, Massachusetts Armory. Ruth is the older sister and an officer’s wife and the younger sister Millie is a single mom who, in desperation, seeks refuge in her sister’s home and takes a position in the Armory factories as a “soldier of production.” This living arrangement isn’t ideal, but the younger sister has no other family after the death of their parents and the disappearance of her abusive husband. The relationship between the sisters is tense and filled with resentment, jealousy, misunderstanding, competition, and secrets.”

Continue here for my full review of The Wartime Sisters ….

QOTD:

Have you read The Wartime Sisters or is it on your TBR?

The Paris Library [Book Review]

February 8, 2021

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

Genre/Categories: WW11, Historical Fiction, Paris, Books About Books

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Resistance in a silent and unlikely place…the importance of books…

Thank you, #NetGalley @AtriaBooks for a complimentary e ARC of #TheParisLibrary upon my request in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Paris Library is a dual timeline story of family, friendship, resistance, romance, betrayal, heroism, bravery, and books. In 1939, idealistic, courageous, and ambitious Odile Souchet works at the American Library in Paris when the Nazis arrive. Odile and the other librarians negotiate to keep the library open so they can protect the books and also make secret deliveries to their Jewish patrons. In 1983, Lily, a lonely teenager living in Montana, befriends a mysterious and reclusive, elderly, French neighbor woman and discovers they have a great deal in common.

American Library in Paris Image Source: Wikipedia

My Thoughts:

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The Girl From the Channel Islands [Book Review] #BlogTour #Harlequinn

February 2, 2021

The Girl From the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat #BlogTour

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, Jewish, Channel Islands

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Jenny Lecoat’s the Girl From the Channel Islands. Thank you for the invitation Justine Sha!

Thank you #Netgalley #Harlequinn for my complimentarary e arc of #TheGirlFromTheChannelIslands upon my request. All opinions are my own.

***This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

In June of 1940, Hitler’s army takes possession of the Channel Islands. Cut off from all help, the residents grow increasingly desperate. Hedy, a young Jewish girl from Vienna, is trapped on Jersey with no escape. In desperation, Hedy begins to work for the Germans as a translator, and she meets a sympathetic German officer (although he doesn’t know her whole truth). As Hedy’s life is in more danger every day, she decides on a dangerous course of action in an attempt to save herself from deportation to a concentration camp.

My Thoughts:

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World War 11 Reads

January 27, 2021

World War 11 Reads
(including some Holocaust reads)

January 27th is International
Holocaust Remembrance Day

Meme from theisraelproject.org. In addition to the six million Jews, there were approximately five million others killed by the Nazis: gypsies, homosexuals, people with mental or physical disabilities, Jehovah’s Witnesses, resistance fighters, Poles and other Slavic peoples.

Those of us who read WW11 Historical Fiction have stories of the Holocaust and the suffering of the Jewish people burned into our hearts. On this day of remembrance, I’ve listed some of the most memorable WW11 books I’ve read. Some involve the Holocaust. some describe the efforts of others or how their own lives were affected, and others take place during WW11. This is NOT a list exclusively about the Holocaust even though we are remembering this horrific event in history today.

***Titles are links to my blog or goodreads reviews or affiliate Amazon links.

Helping Others

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff

Resistance; Spies

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck (ARC, Pub Date: 2/9/21)

The Baker’s Secret by Stephen P Kierman

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Families

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter

Nonfiction, Memoirs

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas

Saving Children

The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke

The Last Train to London by Meg Waite Clayton

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Young Adult (New Young Adult and Adult crossover)

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

Paper Hearts by Meg Woviott

Concentration Camps

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris

(***Yes, I’m aware that Heather Morris has received criticism of her work in regard to historical facts, however, I still appreciated the stories.)

Living During WW11

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin (ARC, Pub Date: 4/6/21)

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles (ARC, Pub Date: 2/9/21)

Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman

Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan

The Butterfly and the Violin by Kristy Cambron

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

The Soldier’s Wife by Margaret Leroy

The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel

White Rose, Black Forest by Eoin Dempsey

Unbroken: A WW11 Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Red Sky Over Hawaii, The Lieutenant’s Nurse, The Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers all by Sara Ackerman

The Winemaker’s Wife by Kristin Harmel

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer

The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey

Room on Rue Amélie by Kristin Harmel

What titles can you add? I thought of adding Sarah’s Key, but I didn’t actually read it because I saw the movie. I know it’s a favorite for many histfic readers.

QOTD: Have you read any of these titles?

Happy Reading Book Buddies!

“Ah, how good it is to be among people who are reading.”
~Rainer Maria Rilke

“I love the world of words, where life and literature connect.”
~Denise J Hughes

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”
~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

“I read because books are a form of transportation, of teaching, and of connection! Books take us to places we’ve never been, they teach us about our world, and they help us to understand human experience.”
~Madeleine Riley, Top Shelf Text

Let’s Get Social!

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***Blogs posts may contain affiliate links. This means that at no extra cost to you, I can earn a small percentage of your purchase price.

Unless explicitly stated that they are free, all books that I review have been purchased by me or borrowed from the library.

Book Cover and author photos are credited to Amazon or an author’s (or publisher’s) website.

© ReadingLadies.com

The Choice: Embrace the Possible [Book Review] #NonFicNov

November 27, 2020

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
#NonFicNov

Genre/Categories: Nonfiction, Memoir, WW11, Holocaust, Mental Health, Jewish, Self Help, Psychology

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

Edith Eger and her family were taken to Auschwitz when Edith was sixteen. Her mother and father were killed shortly after they arrived. Edith and her sister survived. In this memoir, Edith recounts her experiences and her mental health journey. Her practice as a psychologist later in life focuses on PTSD. Edith weaves her own stories together with case studies from her practice to talk about healing, forgiveness, and freedom from the prison of the mind.

My Thoughts:

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The Librarian of Auschwitz [Book Review] #throwbackthursday

October 22, 2020

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

#throwbackthursday

Genre/Categories: YA Historical Fiction, Fictionalized Biography, Jewish, WW11, Holocaust

This year as part of Blog Audit Challenge 2020 I’m going back to update older review posts. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads, and today I’m sharing my review of The Librarian of Auschwitz, brave…inspirational…courageous…feisty…determined….daring……

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for #throwbackthursday.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary of The Librarian of Auschwitz

“During the darkest hours of the Holocaust in an Auschwitz concentration camp, a young girl, Dita Kraus, risks her life to keep the magic of books alive. Imprisoned along with her mother and father, Dita finds meaning and purpose as the Librarian of a secret library within a secret school in the “family camp” section of Auschwitz, caring for eight precious volumes that have been smuggled in past the guards.

Be sure to read the author’s Afterward as he speaks of his interview with the real Dita Kraus about her incredible life, courage, and survival.”

Continue here for my review of The Librarian of Auschwitz …

QOTD: Have you read The Librarian of Auschwitz or is it on your TBR?

From Sand and Ash [Book Review] #throwbackthursday

September 3, 2020

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
#throwbackthursday

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, Jewish, Catholic, Love Story

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for #throwbackthursday.

This year as part of Blog Audit Challenge 2020 I’m going back to update older review posts. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads, and today I’m sharing my review of From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon, a thoughtful story of love, survival, life, death, faith, and sacrifice…

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

…faith, sacrifice, and survival…

My Summary:

“In 1943, Italy’s Jewish population is in imminent danger from the forces of hatred and prejudice. Raised like brother and sister, Eva and Angelo enjoy childhood best friend closeness which later blooms into a romance. Although they are devoted to each other, Eva, an accomplished violinist, is Jewish and Angelo chooses to follow a calling to become a Catholic priest. As the Gestapo arrests Jewish residents of Florence, Angelo convinces Eva to follow him to Rome to hide in a convent under his watchful eye while he serves nearby at the Vatican. Eva discovers that the Catholic Church is hiding hundreds of Jews and facilitating their escape when possible. Angelo has made a promise to Eva’s family and feels a duty to keep her safe, which is complicated by romantic feelings. This page turning story follows Eva and Angelo as they face trials, take risks, and make agonizing choices.”

Continue here for my review of From Sand and Ash …

QOTD: Have you read From Sand and Ash or is it on your TBR?

We Were the Lucky Ones [Book Review] #throwbackthursday

August 20, 2020

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
#throwbackthursday

I’m linking up today with Davida @ The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog for
#throwbackthursday.

This year as part of Blog Audit Challenge 2020 I’m going back to update older review posts. On Thursdays, I’ll be re-sharing a few of these great reads, and today I’m sharing my review of We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter, an engaging and heartfelt story about family and faith…

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, Jewish

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

…family and faith…

My Summary:

“In the spring of 1939, the extended Kurc family is living a modest and happy life in Radom, Poland. In the midst of joyful family celebrations, however, there is increased talk of the mistreatment of Jews. Soon the entire close-knit Kurc family faces separation, makes attempts to flee, and desperately focuses on safety and survival. Family members share a will to survive and seeing one another again is their greatest goal. Through cleverness, determination, faith, hope, and hardship they endure.”

Continue here for my review of We Were the Lucky Ones …

QOTD: Have you read We Were the Lucky Ones or is it on your TBR?

The Book of Lost Names [Book Review]

July 21, 2020

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, France

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

Inspired by true stories from WW11, a young Jewish woman who flees Paris with her mother after the arrest of her father finds herself committing to a forgery ring whose primary goal is to create documents that will help hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis. The story is told in dual timelines from the present-day perspective of Eva who is a semi-retired librarian living in Florida and the young Eva as she flees Paris and joins an underground forgery operation in a small mountain town near the Switzerland border. The Book of Lost Names becomes an important link between the two timelines.

My Thoughts:

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The Medallion: A Review

October 3, 2019

The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke

“When all seems lost, God can make a way forward.”

Genre/Categories: Historical Fiction, WW11, Holocaust, Jewish, Christian

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Summary:

1939 Warsaw is the setting for this harrowing, heartfelt, and inspirational WW11 tale of survival, courage, loss, hope, risk, and faith. Sophie works in the city library, and her husband, Janek, is deployed with the Polish Air Force. When the Germans invade Warsaw in 1939 and streets become a dangerous war zone, Sophie feels compelled to help friends and strangers. Rosa and Itzhak are pregnant with their first child when they seek shelter in the Jewish ghetto. When Itzhak leaves her to check on the safety of his family, Rosa faces the horrific possibility of sending their small child into hiding to save her life, but first Rosa cuts a medallion (the Jewish Tree of Life) in half and places half around her young daughter’s neck. She prays that this will be enough to reunite them after the war.

We follow the lives of these two memorable couples whose worlds are torn apart and, in post-war years, connected by a shared love for a young daughter.

Amazon Rating: 4.8 Stars

My Thoughts:

(more…)

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman#throwbackthursday

My Summary:

QOTD:

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The Girl From the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat #BlogTour

My Summary:

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World War 11 Reads (including some Holocaust reads)

Helping Others

Resistance; Spies

Families

Nonfiction, Memoirs

Saving Children

Young Adult (New Young Adult and Adult crossover)

Concentration Camps

Living During WW11

Happy Reading Book Buddies!

Let’s Get Social!

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The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger #NonFicNov

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#throwbackthursday

My Summary of The Librarian of Auschwitz

Continue here for my review of The Librarian of Auschwitz …

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From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon #throwbackthursday

My Summary:

Continue here for my review of From Sand and Ash …

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We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter #throwbackthursday

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The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman
#throwbackthursday

World War 11 Reads
(including some Holocaust reads)

The Choice: Embrace the Possible by Dr. Edith Eva Eger
#NonFicNov

From Sand and Ash by Amy Harmon
#throwbackthursday

We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
#throwbackthursday