Happy Tuesday! Today TTT bloggers are posting random books from our shelves — either physical or digital. Sharing from either is really going to expose my lack of timely reading. 😉 My Kindle, physical shelves, and NetGalley shelf are filled with hopes and dreams — hope that I will finally choose a book and dreams of having all the time in the world to read! Sad for so many reasons. But I will play along anyway. I chose to go the physical book route — have you read any on my list? Tell me which should head to the top of the TBR pile.
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10 Random Books from My Book Shelves
The Cairo Brief by Fiona Veitch Smith
Code of Valor by Lynette Eason
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Every Hour Until Then by Gabrielle Meyer
A Gardin Wedding by Rosey Lee
The Secret Book of Flora Lee by Patty Callahan Henry
Sarah Sundin is a must-read author for my book club. We loved Midnight on The Scottish Shore and know you will too! This WWII romance combines the efforts of defending the home front and spies! It’s great! If you liked it too, then consider the following book recommendations.
As Dawn Breaks by Kate Breslin
Amid the Great War in 1918 England, munitions worker Rosalind Graham is desperate to escape the arranged marriage being forced on her by her ruthless guardian and instead follow her own course. When the Chilwell factory explodes, killing hundreds of unidentified workers, Rose realizes the world believes she perished in the disaster. Seizing the chance to escape, she risks all and assumes a new identity, taking a supervisory position in Gretna, Scotland, as Miss Tilly Lockhart.
RAF Captain Alex Baird is returning home to Gretna on a secret mission to uncover the saboteur suspected in the Chilwell explosion, as Gretna’s factory is likely next. Fearing for his family’s safety, he’s also haunted by guilt after failing to protect his brother. Alex is surprised to discover a young woman, Miss Lockhart, renting his boyhood room, but the two eventually bond over their mutual affection for his family–until Alex receives orders to surveil her.
Rose squirms beneath Alex’s scrutiny while she struggles to gain her workers’ respect. But when her deception turns to danger, she and Alex must find a way to put their painful pasts behind them and together try to safeguard the future.
The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green
In 1942, an impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to the European front puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine. Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to close the library, she invents a book club to keep its doors open. The women she convinces to attend the first meeting couldn’t be more different–a wealthy spinster determined to aid the war effort, an exhausted mother looking for a fresh start, and a determined young war worker.
At first, the struggles of the home front are all the club members have in common, but over time, the books they choose become more than an escape from the hardships of life and the fear of the U-boat battles that rage just past their shores. As the women face personal challenges and band together in the face of danger, they find they have more in common than they think. But when their growing friendships are tested by secrets of the past and present, they must decide whether depending on each other is worth the cost.
Saving Mrs. Roosevelt by Candice Sue Patterson
Shirley Davenport is as much a patriot as her four brothers. She, too, wants to aid her country in the war efforts, but opportunities for women are limited. When her best friend Joan informs her that the Coast Guard has opened a new branch for single women, they both enlist in the SPARs, ready to help protect the home front.
Training is rigorous, and Shirley is disappointed that she and Joan are sent to separate training camps. At the end of basic training, Captain Webber commends her efforts and commissions her home to Maine under the ruse of a dishonorable discharge to help uncover a plot against the First Lady.
Shirley soon discovers nothing is as it seems. Who can she trust? Why do the people she loves want to harm the First Lady? With the help of Captain Webber, it’s a race against time to save Mrs. Roosevelt and remain alive.
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT prompt is books featuring travel. Having done that a few times before, I have changed the topic up a bit and am listing books I have read for my upcoming trip to Maine. I love to read novels that are set in travel destinations. Do you ever do that? My list consists of the books I have read in the past couple of months plus some others I have read over the years. There’s a variety of genres too. I hope you find one to inspire you!
Happy Tuesday! I have to admit I was a bit daunted by the TTT prompt — Cover Freebie. I just couldn’t decide which direction to go — Christmas-y Covers, Autumn Vibes, Illustrated Covers — there are just so many choices. So I decided to really reach and go with fashion through the years. I chose these covers because so many different styles of clothing and hairstyles are represented. I think the cover designers did a great job of representing the era in which the books are set. What do you think?
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is Debut Novels. The books on my list really hit it out of the park! No way could they be first offerings by the authors, but they were. And the good news is that many of the authors on the list have other books to read when you finish their first. Hope you find one to love!
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is books that bring out all the feels — sadness, joy, anger — you name it! My list includes books that made me really feel what the characters were feeling. Thanks to all the fabulous authors that can elicit that in a reader. That makes me very happy! 😉
Happy Tuesday! Today’s TTT topic is all about buying books and then not reading them. I have that issue across formats! Today my list contains 10 (there are more) audiobooks that I have acquired, but have not listened to yet. Most were either on sale or included with my Audible subscription. If you have read/listened to any on my list, let me know what you thought.
Happy Tuesday! I have to say I was not feeling this week’s topic. I don’t often re-read a book, and I can’t say I ever considered that I wouldn’t like a book I loved if I read it again. Oh well, that’s what twisting a topic is for. 😉 I do have A LOT of books on my shelves that I have not read. Will I like them as much as I anticipated when I acquired them? You tell me!
Today’s list features 10 yet to be read books on my shelf in a variety of genres. If you have read them, please let me know why I should read them NOW! Note: while creating this post I discovered that 5 of the books are available with my subscription to Audible! Yippee! Of course I downloaded them. They are noted with an asterisk.
While I probably need a few reading superpowers — being able to stay awake later to get in just one more chapter or reading without becoming distracted — I drew a blank this week. So true to form I am going off topic. Reading itself is a tremendous superpower — it transports you to other eras and worlds, it can make you smarter, and it can make you more empathetic. So let’s celebrate that we read — we have an indispensable superpower!
The books in my list this week are those that made me think, made me feel, and took to me to other places and times. All fed my soul, taught me something, and engaged my emotions. Maybe the authors are really the ones with superpowers!
Based on true World War II stories of life in the USO variety shows, worlds collide when performers from around the United States come together to tour North Africa.
Vibrant and scrappy Maggie McCleod tried not to get fired from her wartime orchestra, but her sharp tongue landed her in trouble, so an overseas adventure with the USO’s camp show promises a chance at a fresh start. Wealthy and elegant Catherine Duquette signs with the USO to leave behind her restrictive life of privilege and to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of the handsome pilot whose letters mysteriously stopped arriving.
The two women are joined by an eclectic group of performers–a scheming blues singer, a veteran tap dancer, and a brooding magician–but the harmony among their troupe is short-lived when their tour manager announces he will soon recommend one of them for a coveted job in the Hollywood spotlight. Each of the five members has a reason to want the contract, and they’ll do whatever is necessary to claim it. As their troupe travels closer to the dangerous battlefront in Tunisia, personal crises and wartime dangers only intensify, putting not only their careers but also their lives on the line.
PRAISE FOR THE FOXHOLE VICTORY TOUR
“Green deserves a standing ovation for her rousing story of unlikely friendships, courage over comfort, and the impactful work of USO performers during WWII. The Foxhole Victory Tour transports readers from the concert halls of Minnesota to the coasts of Casablanca to the active war zone of Tunisia. It is plot-driven without sacrificing relational drama, and its ragtag supporting cast of lovable misfits thoughtfully portrays the art and heart of live performance.”— Booklist
5-STARS “I was impressed with how much Green was able to pack into the story and still keep it cohesive and natural. I ended up loving all the characters and their story arc, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Green’s work.”— Debra, Goodreads
“The Foxhole Victory Tour is a wonderful story of historical fiction with great characters, vivid descriptions, and some tough truths that will make readers reflect on their choices and their priorities.”— Jordon Lynch, The Literary Library
“This story was full of emotion and captivating on every page. The setting of World War II is so real, you feel like you are with them. This is must-read. A story you won’t put down and will be sad to say goodbye to after it’s over.”— Elizabeth Eckmeyer, Interviews & Reviews
Amy Lynn Green is a lifelong lover of books, history, and library cards. She worked in publishing for six years before writing her first historical fiction novel. She and her husband live in Minnesota, where she teaches virtual classes on marketing at writer’s conferences, engages with book clubs, and regularly encourages established and aspiring authors in their publication journeys.
The Foxhole Victory Tour is another winning WWII-era novel by Amy Lynn Green. Green chooses to include an ensemble cast of characters to bring to life the story of USO performers on the frontlines of the war. I had no idea the USO sponsored these types of tours. My impression before reading this book was that they mainly performed way behind the lines at bases. I loved that Green chose to focus on these unsung heroes who brought a bit of respite, laughter, and reprieve from the horrors of war to the active duty servicemen. While there are 5 performers on the tour, plus a tour manager, there are two major POVs — Maggie and Catherine. The two young women from very different backgrounds both have something to prove. Really all the members of the troupe want validation, security, and purpose, and they seek that out on the makeshift stages across northern Africa.
There’s a small bit of romance and some danger in the novel, along with wonderful historical detail. The story and the characters are the strengths of this book, and Green does a great job developing both. The spiritual messages are developed naturally. The characters were all at different points in their faith journeys, which seemed very realistic. Truths were expressed without being preachy.
I really couldn’t put this book down, and was sad as I closed its cover for the final time. A great book, it will appeal to those who love a good story well told.
Recommended.
Audience: Adults.
(Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
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