HISTORICAL FICTION - WORLD WAR II
Thursday, July 4, 2024
FEATURING: The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
FEATURING: Girls' Night Out by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
THRILLER - MYSTERY
Tuesday, July 2, 2024
All The Broken Places by John Boyne
We meet ninety-one-year old Gretel.
She has been keeping a secret her entire life.
We find out what it is as we see her during the war, during her youth, as she ages, and at her present age.
Her father was in charge of one of the concentration camps, and that bothers her. She has always felt that she was complicit too.
Her life was good, but her secret was always in the back of her mind as she always tried to hide it.
She has lived in the same flat for almost her entire life, and when a new family moves in, they seem to be hiding things too.
Gretel makes friends with their son who seems to need saving. If she can help him, will it make up for what she saw and felt she was responsible for during the war?
A powerful, beautifully written, heart wrenching read that historical fiction fans will devour.
The writing, the characters, and the story are phenomenal and come alive through the author's exquisite skill. 5/5
Beyond Summerland by Jenny LeCoat
The war has ended and the citizens of Jersey, Channel Islands, are waiting for their loved ones to return.
Some return, but the father of Jean Parris wasn't on the ship of returning soldiers.
A few days later they found out that he had perished in a prison from being arrested for a minor infraction.
Who was responsible for alerting the Germans that her father had a banned radio?
We then meet Hazel who didn't like Jean's father and who Jean is blaming for telling on her father.
But....when the two women meet, and Hazel finds out Jean has a secret, can they make a deal?
They decided Hazel won't tell on Jean if Jean will tell the police that Hazel was not the informant.
Can they trust each other?
The book was a bit confusing because of going from one character to the other without any “notice,” but other than that BEYOND SUMMERLAND is another excellent, well researched read that makes you think that even though the war was over, was it really?
Historical fiction as well as mystery fans will enjoy this book. 4/5
Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Monday, July 1, 2024
Spotlight of Veridian Sterling Fakes it by Jennifer Gooch Hummer
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"Too often novels involving art crime are heavy-handed, more dark heist than peppy caper. This one is a total joy to read. You'll shoot through from the first page to the last. Cinematic, light-hearted, with an endearing protagonist and some good twists--everything a good caper should be."—Noah Charney, best-selling author of The Art Thief
“What does it mean to be truly authentic? Veridian Sterling Fakes It is about all the ways we pretend and fool ourselves, be it with art, love or life, with a mother-daughter relationship so engaging, you’ll wish it were yours. Deliciously funny, movingly real, glitteringly smart, and so, so alive.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and Days of Wonder
“Jennifer Gooch Hummer paints a fun, fast-paced, twist on the art heist in Veridian Sterling Fakes It. Reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn’s role in How to Steal a Million in the best of ways, Veridian’s unintentional descent into a life of crime is a wild ride from beginning to end. Veridian Sterling may fake it, but Jennifer Gooch Hummer is the real deal as a rising voice in humorous fiction.”—Sara Goodman Confino, bestselling author of Don’t Forget to Write and She’s Up to No Good
"I honestly couldn't tell what captivated me more about Veridian Sterling Fakes It -- the twists and turns in the world of art crime, or the sheer relatability of being a fresh graduate from art school forced to work for a mercurial, toxic boss. At various points I had no idea what was going to happen next, but I knew I was along for the ride! This expertly crafted story from Jennifer Gooch Hummer made me feel like an insider to an exclusive club.”—Alicia Thompson, USA Today bestselling author of Love in the Time of Serial Killers
"In an entertaining update of the classic art heist, Jennifer Gooch Hummer immerses the reader in the vibrant New York art scene where old-school stolen Klimts and counterfeit Van Goghs jostle for space with the digital frontier of Non-Fungible Tokens and cryptocurrency. With crisp, evocative prose and an insider's eye, the author deftly navigates the glitz and greed of the contemporary art world in an engrossing tale of a young painter's quest for success.”—Carson Morton, author of Stealing Mona Lisa
ABOUT VERIDIAN STERLING FAKES IT:
Freshly graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, Veridian Sterling shops her art to every gallery in New York City. Unfortunately, not one of them is interested, so she opts for a personal assistant role working for a difficult woman who has an old grievance with her mother.
No glitz, no glam, and definitely none of the money she needs to help her struggling mother finally realize her dream of starting her own business after having sacrificed everything for Veri to go to art school. So when she overhears her new boss discussing the impressive finder's fee for a lost Van Gogh, Veri takes matters into her own hands. Maybe her own artwork isn't celebrated, but she knows how to copy what is, and maybe those skills can help lead to a discovery.
When a famous art dealer takes her under his wing (and his charming driver takes her interest), Veri realizes she's in deeper than she expected, and quite possibly with the wrong people. With her mother's dreams and her own future at stake, Veri will have to pull out every trick she can think of to wipe her canvas clean and erase the mess she's created before she goes down for someone else's crimes.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
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Connect :
Website: https://jennifergoochhummer.
X/Twitter: @JGoochHummer
Facebook: Jennifer Gooch Hummer
Mailbox Monday - 7/1/2024
BOOKMAIL THAT ARRIVED THIS WEEK.
WHAT ARRIVED FOR YOU?
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