The Medallion [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

September 23, 2021

The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke
#throwbackthursday

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, WW11, Jewish, Christian, Warsaw

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 compelling and page-turning story of WW11, The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke.

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

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My 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.”

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

Continue here for my full review of The Medallion…

QOTD:

Have you read The Medalliion or is it on your TBR?

Resistance Women [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

July 15, 2021

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini
#throwbackthursday

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, Pre WW11, WW11, Resistance, Jewish, Germany

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 an inspirational and memorable historical fiction, Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini.

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

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

“Mildred Fish, an American College graduate, meets the love of her life, Arvid Harnack. After they fall in love, they marry and make their home in Arvid’s homeland of Germany. Mildred and Arvid thrive there, forming new friendships, and enjoying the intellectual and artistic offerings of 1930s Berlin. As Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party become more popular and powerful, Mildred and Arvid and their friends are compelled to resist. For years, Mildred and Arvid and their cohorts risk their lives to gather intelligence to bring down the Third Reich from within. Sadly, their sincere efforts don’t result in the help they desired or envisioned. This is a story of everyday people who, while they should be enjoying their carefree youth, give their best efforts to fighting evil and saving their country.”

A well-researched, quiet, character-driven story….

Continue here for my full review of Resistance Women …

QOTD:

Have you read Resistance Women or is it on your TBR?

The Forest of Vanishing Stars [Book Review]

July 6, 2021

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Genre/Categories/Settings: Historical Fiction, WW11, Poland/Germany, Survival, Jewish

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

“You are a warrior. You are a hero, and a fighter, and a savior. You are a caretaker and a life giver.”

Thanks #NetGalley @GalleryBooks for a complimentary eARC of #TheForestOfVanishingStars upon my request. All opinions are my own.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars is inspired by true stories of survival in the expansive forests of Poland during WW11. The movie Defiance with Daniel Craig depicts one of the largest hidden groups.

Yona is stolen from her wealthy Germany parents when she is two years old (1922) and raised in the wilderness by an elderly eccentric herbalist and visionary. In 1941 when Yona is a young woman, her kidnapper dies and she is left to fend for herself in the forest. She is surprised to stumble upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazis. After her fear subsides, she is determined to teach the group all she knows about surviving in the forest. However, they teach her about community and friendship after living her life in isolation. Told in one straightforward timeline from one perspective, this is a story of found family, finding people to trust, and of survival.

My Thoughts:

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The Warsaw Orphan [Book Review]

May 28, 2021

The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer

Genre/Categories/Settings: Historical Fiction, WW11, Poland, Jewish, Survival

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Welcome to my stop on the Summer 2021 Historical Fiction Blog Tour. Thank you for the invitation, Justine. Thanks #NetGalley @Harlequin @GraydonHouse for a complimentary eARC of #TheWarsawOrphan by Kelly Rimmer upon my request. All opinions are my own. Pub Date: 6/1/2021.

It’s 1942, and teenage Elzbieta lives in the middle of German-occupied Warsaw. She doesn’t like the Germans who patrol the streets, she resents the curfews, and she’s mostly uninformed about the hardships endured by her Jewish neighbors. On the other hand, she has heard about German brutality and is keeping a secret about her own true identity. Elzbieta makes two friends: her neighbor Sara who involves her in a dangerous world of smuggling children out of the Ghetto and Roman whose family lives in the Ghetto and is in great danger. This is a story of war, family, survival, and love.

My Thoughts:

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Paper Hearts [Book Review] #ThrowBackThursday

May 20, 2021

Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott
#throwbackthursday

Genre/Categories: WW11, Holocaust, Jewish, Young Adult, Poetry (free verse), Friendship, Survival

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 the poignant and compelling Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott, a title on my lifetime favorites list.

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

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

“In Paper Hearts, two unforgettable girls find themselves tragically imprisoned at Auschwitz during the Holocaust and become friends. Through the bonds of friendship and a bit of defiance, Zlatka and Fania find threads of hope and a will to live. In this true story, Zlatka, along with the help of a few other girls, masterminds making a surprise birthday card for Fania. A secret project that would be a crime punishable by death if caught, each girl signed the paper hearts card with her hopes and wishes for happiness, love, and freedom. This heart is a symbol of defiance and is one of the few artifacts created in Auschwitz that has survived and can be seen today in the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre in Canada and in the image below.”

a beautiful, memorable, and gently written story of friendship and survival…

Continue here for my full review of Paper Hearts ….

QOTD:

Have you read Paper Hearts or is it on your TBR?

The Woman With the Blue Star [Book Review]

May 4, 2021

The Woman With the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff

Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction, WW11, Holocaust, Jewish, Krakow (Poland), Friendship

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary:

Welcome to my stop on the Pam Jenoff Blog Tour for #TheWomanWithTheBlueStar. Thanks to #NetGalley @HarlequinBooks @HarperCollins @ParkRowBooks for my complimentary eARC upon my request. All opinions are my own.

In 1942, eighteen-year-old Sadie and her parents are forced to flee the Krakow Ghetto to avoid being sent to a concentration camp. They seek refuge in the sewer system beneath the city. One day, Sadie looks up through the grate and makes eye contact with a young Polish woman, Ella. Putting her fears aside, Ella begins to aid Sadie by bringing her a bit of food. The story follows their friendship as Ella helps Sadie in any way that she can.

My Thoughts:

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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.

The Medallion by Cathy Gohlke#throwbackthursday

My Summary:

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

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Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini#throwbackthursday

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Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott#throwbackthursday

My Summary:

Continue here for my full review of Paper Hearts ….

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The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman#throwbackthursday

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The Girl From the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat #BlogTour

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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 Medallion by Cathy Gohlke
#throwbackthursday

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini
#throwbackthursday

Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott
#throwbackthursday

The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman
#throwbackthursday

World War 11 Reads
(including some Holocaust reads)