Top Book Picks

“Black Shield Maiden by Smith & Hendel 

Yafeu, an African, has always felt different from her villagers.  When her village is destroyed and she is forced into slavery, she must dig deep into her inner strength to survive.  As she was taken to the slave auction, a group of Vikings raided the village.  Mesmerized by the women warriors, Yafeu willingly joined with the Vikings.  However, once they landed, she was once again enslaved.   

It is hard to give this book a broad enough description to capture the book’s nuances.  Well crafted, this book blended two worlds and cultures in a fascinating way.  The characters were multidimensional and well crafted.  They showed growth and expansion throughout the book.  I would love to read a sequel.  This is definitely an author I will be watching!

“The Real Deal” by Caitlin Devon

Belle Simon was one of six girls chosen to be on a reality tv show The Real Deal.  Starring Donna Mayfair, the program aimed to turn the girls into actors, dancers, singers, and stars.  15 years later, Belle is contacted about filming a reunion special.  

This book unraveled nicely, mixing past and present storylines in a cohesive and fun way.  I enjoyed the novel and the characters.  The book felt very realistic and could easily have been a tell-all memoir.  Overall, a fun, hard to put down, read.

“Becoming Madam Secretary” by Stephanie Dray 

Determined to fight for child poverty, women, and safe working conditions, Frances Perkins takes a job in New York City.  There, she quickly meets some of the rising politicians, activists, and writers, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  While initially she writes off the young politician, her history and FDR’s are intertwined.  

This novel was well written and engaging.  I loved the character development and growth throughout the story.  I also loved that FDR was pictured realistically rather than in an idealized light.  The story was well paced and entertaining.  Overall, highly recommended.

“South of Sepharad” by Eric Z. Weintraub

When Isabella and Ferdinant conquer Granada, they sign an edict ordering all Jews to either convert to Catholicism or leave Spain under penalty of death.  Vidal and his family have a difficult choice to make.  A physician, Vidal feels connected to his patients and worries about abandoning them.  At the same time, he believes it is his religious duty to leave Spain with his congregation.  Vidal’s oldest daughter converted to Catholicism years before in order to marry a Catholic man.  Will she be safe?  Will her conversion protect her in light of the inquisition?

This was a well written and engaging novel.  The characters were well developed and I enjoyed reading about a people and time period that I know little about.  I would love to read more from this author and look forward to seeing what he writes next.  5 out of 5 stars.

"Rednecks" by Taylor Brown 

During 1920 to 1921 in the hills of West Virginia, striking mine workers and company men faced off against one another in a forgotten war.  Over one million bullets were fired, bombs were dropped, and men died in droves.  This book singles out a handful of characters including Doc Moo a Lebanese-American, Frank Hugham, a black miner and Smilin Sid Hatfield, the town’s sheriff.  

This was a well written and engaging book - I had a hard time putting it down!  I was amazed that this battle was fought on American soil, but is not mentioned in the history books.  I am also fascinated by the history of labor relations in the US and how workers struggled and fought for their rights.  Overall, highly recommended!

“Cold Crematorium” by Jozsef Debreczeni 

When stepping off the train in Auschwitz, Jozsef was sent right, into the line of men who would be worked to death.  Sent to a series of camps, he performed hard labor until his body nearly gave out.  Towards the end of the war he was sent to the Cold Crematorium, the “hospital” unit for camp Dornhau.  In the cold crematorium, people waited to die.  Weak and given the smallest food rations, survival was nearly impossible.

This was a well done translation.  The book itself was brutal and hard to read.  The author described his condition in a detached, matter-of-fact way, leaving little to the imagination.  His struggle and survival was nothing short of a miracle.  Overall, highly recommended.

“Through the Morgue Door” by Colette Brull-Ulmann and Jean-Christophe Portes 

Colette decided at a young age that she wanted to be a pediatrician.  Determined, she entered school and excelled.  As a Jew in occupied France, her options to study and practice were severely limited.  After becoming an intern at the Rothschild Hospital, the hospital became part of the Drancy detention center.  Prisoners were sent to the hospital to rest and recover before being shipped to concentration camps.  Children were also sent to the hospital, where an underground resistance network would do everything they could to make the children disappear.  Colette became part of that important organization.

The book was well written and engaging, and nothing seemed lost in translation.  The translator did an amazing job!  I knew nothing about the Rothschild Hospital before reading this book, and was amazed at its role during WWII.  I thought Colette and her colleagues were heroes and wish more had been written about them.  Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Underground Library" by Jennifer Ryan 

Set in London during WWII, this book follows the lives of three women.  Juliet has left her small town to become the deputy librarian in Bethnal Green.  Katie, a local woman, is terrified when she learns that she is pregnant.  Sofie, a Jewish refugee, works as a maid for a bitter older man.  As bombs rain down on London, Juliet moves the library into the underground subway system, where a community begins to develop.

This was an interesting and dynamic book with well written characters.  The characters were multidimensional and showed growth throughout the story.  I loved how the women’s lives were intertwined and how they worked together to build community.  Overall, highly recommended!

“American Daughter Gone To War” by Winnie Smith

With a desire to serve, Winnie signed up to be a nurse during the Vietnam War.  This book follows her from training state-side, to Japan, Vietnam, and back home again.  This is one of the best books of this genre that I have read.  The author was not afraid to talk about her feelings, the horrors of war, or the toll that war takes on everyone.  Fast paced, the book was well thought out and written.  Overall, highly recommended.  

"Twilight Territory" by Andrew X. Pham

Following the end of WWII, this book sets up and outlines the tragic history of Vietnam during the Cold War.  Tuyet, her Aunt Coi, cousin Ha and daughter Anh are eking out a living with a small storefront in the village of Phan Thiet.  When Japanese Major Takeshi reaches out to Tuyet to get a feel for the village, she is instantly suspicious and worried about what her neighbors will say.  She directs him elsewhere, but slowly begins to date and see the Major.  As their relationship grows, relationships between the Japanese, French, and Vietnamese worsens and interrupts in violence.

This book was fascinating!  I have never read anything about Vietnam during this period of time.  I found it historically enlightening.  The characters were well developed, I felt connected to them even through time and cultural differences.  I would love to read more from this author.  Overall, highly recommended.

"The Tuscan Orphan" by Siobhan Daiko 

After signing up as a nurse during WWII, Carrie is assigned to a variety of hospitals in Italy.  In Florence, she meet’s Vito, a resistance fighter.  After Mimi, an injured child, is brought into the hospital, Vito and Carrie work together to find Mimi’s parents.  

I was a little skeptical about this book at first, but quickly fell in love with the author’s storytelling.  The plot moved at a nice pace, the characters were well developed, and the story itself was interesting.  This book was well developed and much more than the typical love story.  Overall, highly recommended.

"The Painter's Daughters" by Emily Howes

Daughters of a famous portrait painter, Peggy and Molly are inseparable.  Molly, the eldest, occasionally suffers from mental fog and spells.  Peggy, does everything she can to cover the slips and maintain normality.  When they move to Bath and begin circulating in high society, Molly's slips become more frequent and harder to cover up.

This was a very interesting read.  The characters were fully developed and dynamic.  I felt for both sisters as they grew, fell in love, and continually fought against the asylum.  The book was well paced, dynamic, and painted a complex story.  Overall, highly recommended.

"The Women" by Kristin Hannah

When her brother's plane is shot down over Vietnam, Frankie is determined to honor his memory.  Impulsively, she joins the Army Nurse Corp and is shipped away from her conservative family and idyllic life in California.  Thrust into the jungles of Vietnam, she is shocked and overwhelmed by the horrors of war.  Two nurses take Frankie under their wings and help her survive and even thrive.  When her tour is over, Frankie returns home, only to be spit upon, looked down at, and vilified for her service.

Wow.  Just wow.  I'm not sure I've read much about Vietnam, and was appalled at how the public treated these returning heroes.  Frankie not only had to deal with an unpopular war, but with being denied because she was a woman.  It was definitely a double blow.  The book itself was well written and engaging, I am very glad that it included experiences and troubles after the war.  I think so many books stop when the hero goes home.  Overall, highly recommended!

"Lilith" by Nikki Marmery

Brought to life in the Garden of Eden, Lilith is the daughter of Asherah, and Yahweh.  When Adam begins to dominate her, Lilith refuses, and is cast out.  Searching for Asherah, she realizes that she is missing and Yahweh is behind her disappearance.  When Lilith realizes that Eve has been created as Adam's helpmeet, she tries to speak to her, and shows her the Tree of Knowledge.  Granted immortality, Lilith move through history, seeking Asherah and finding ways to restore balance and regain Paradise.

I could not put this book down.  It was well written, and the character development was master level.  I enjoyed the author's interpretations of biblical history and loved how she weaved Lilith throughout.  I can't recommend this book enough.  I look forward to reading more from this author.

"Under the Java Moon" by Heather B. Moore

During WWII, Dutch Rita and her family live on the Java Islands.  Her father is an engineer for the Dutch Navy.  When the Japanese invade, his boat is torpedoed and he is left to drift in the sea.  Rita, her little brother, and pregnant mother, are forced into a camp.  They live in a house with many other families, little food, and no sanitation.   The book alternates points of view between Rita, her Mom  Mary, and father George.

Wow, this book was great1!.  It was well written and the characters were dynamic.  It also provides insight into WWI's affects on Indonesia and Japanese internment camps, which few books cover.   The story was well paced, and the different points of view were interesting and added to the story.  5 out of 5 stars.

"The Black Angels" by Maria Smilios

At a time when tuberculosis was a long death sentence, New York created Sea View, a sanatorium on Staten Island.  During the great depression, a nursing shortage forced hospitals and medical practices to open up the field to black nurses.  At Sea View, the wards were filled with the Black Angels - the only nurses who would work in the dangerous sanatorium.  This book follows several black nurses and their patients as potential cures were tested and discarded.

I could not put this book down.  It was engaging and well written.  The nurses and patients described throughout were fully developed and extremely relatable.  Each of the nurses was an unsung hero who deserves recognition and accolades.  Overall, 5 out of 5 stars.

"First to the Front" by Lorissa Rinehart

With heart and gumption, photojournalist Dickey Chapelle thrust herself into wars, revolutions and dangerous assignments.  Often in places the men wouldn't go, she was the first of her kind.  Happiest on the front lines, she drew connections with the military men she stood beside and did everything she could to advocate  for them.

This was a well written and engaging book.  Dickey was a real life heroine with an adventurous spirit and open heart.  Reading about her life was fascinating.  I found myself googling her photos and stories after finishing.  Highly recommended!

"The Bookbinder of Jericho" by Pip Williams

Brilliant, ambitious Peggy takes care of her twin sister Maude, who is a bit slow.  In modern days, she would probably be diagnosed with autism.  The twins work in a bindery, folding, gathering, and sewing books.  Peggy collects the remnants, torn pieces, and scraps of books.  As the men leave for the war, refugees arrive from war town Belgium.  Peggy slowly allows herself to dream, envisioning herself at the nearby university studying. 

I was amazed by the character development throughout the book.  The characters really changed and grew with the war.  I was particularly touched by Peggy and Maude's relationship, and the care they took for one another.  The plot revolved around day-to-day matters, but moved quickly.  I would love to read more from this author.  5 out of 5 stars.

"In This Moment" by Gabrielle Meyer

Maggie lives in three timelines, 1861, 1941, and 2001.  When she reaches 21, she must decide which life to remain in.  In 2001, Maggie is a hard  working medical student.  In 1941, Maggie is a nurse. Maggie and her sister join the navy, and are sent to a hospital ship in Pearl Harbor.  In 1861, Maggie is the daughter of a northern senator at the beginning of the Civil War.  She loves each life that she leads and struggles to make a decision.

I really enjoyed this book.  Each timeline was well flushed out and detailed.  Maggie was a fascinating character.  She was well developed and easy to love.  I think I've found a new favorite author, I can't wait to read more!

"The Vanishing at Castle Moreau" by Jaime Jo Wright

In 1870, Daisy takes a position as a housemaid at Castle Moreau.  When she visits town, she learns that girls have been disappearing in strange circumstances.  When Daisy finds a woman injured in the forest, she debates what to do.  In modern days, Cleo has been hired to work with a wealthy family to clean up the hoarding in the house.  She finds mystery and unexpected results at every turn.

Wow.  I don't want to give anything away for this one.  It is full of tension and mystery.  Vanishing girls, suspicious house staff, and eccentric matrons lie at the heart of the story.  Overall, a must read!

"To Die Beautiful" by Buzzy Jackson

19 year old Hannie shy is quiet and studious.  When the Nazi's occupy the Netherlands, she watches the world explode around her.  Determined to do something, she joins the resistance movement.  After one dangerous mission, the Nazi's begin calling her "The Girl with the Red Hair" and start hunting her. 

This was wonderfully written story, and a great tribute to a heroine of WWII.  The characters were well developed, multi-dimensional, and realistic. The plot moved quickly.  Highly recommended!

"The Daydreams" by Laura Hankin

As a young adult, Kat was in a hit TV. show featuring four teenagers who formed a band.  Kat was cast as the jealous mean girl, Noah, the lead male, Summer, the lead female, and Liana the token minority character.  After a dramatic and emotional live finale, the four cast members drifted info very different lives.  Years later, the idea of a reunion is pitched and they are all drawn back into the past and what they did.

This was a fantastic book, I absolutely loved it!  The characters were well developed, well rounded, and highly relatable.  The plot unraveled nicely, leaving me in suspense.  I would love to read more from this author!  5 out of 5 stars.