Happy Tuesday and happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today TTT bloggers are sharing books with green covers. I am hitting the review archives and my TBR shelves to bring books featuring greens of all shades. Some of the covers have more green than others, but I felt that green is what first strikes the eye.
Today’s topic is fitting not only for the holiday, but because my yard is GREEN! It’s cold today (for central Georgia) but flowers are in bloom and the trees are full of new leaves. Such a beautiful day! I hope you have one too, plus some reading inspiration.
Happy Tuesday! TTT‘s topic today is bookish quotes. I regularly participate in First Line Friday hosted by Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower. What a great way to introduce new books to readers! So today, I am including some of the best first lines from the past few months. I hope you find a book to pique your interest.
I deeply regret to confirm that your son Lance Corporal Mark James Taylor died in Vietnam 1 November 1968.
All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee
Viola Chambers had always wondered at what point in the dying process a person understood they weren’t long for this world, and now she’d give anything to unlearn it.
The Bitter End Birding Society by Amanda Cox
“The sea never gives back what it claims . . .”
Deadly Currents by Elizabeth Goddard
A shrill sound pierced the night, sweeping through the house like the unearthly wail of a banshee.
Dragonfly Ashes by C. C. Warrens
Lizbeth Bennet clutched the handle of the wicker basket with hope.
The Heart of Bennet Hollow by Joanne Bischof DeWitt
No one knew that Carol Langstrom hated Christmas.
Once Upon a Christmas Carol by Melody Carlson
Natasha shifted uncomfortably on the rock floor of the icy cave, shoving her gloved hands under her armpits to keep warm.
Queen of Hearts by Heather Day Gilbert
Death had always been fashionable.
Specters in The Glass House by Jaime Jo Wright
Pandemonium has broken out in the streets of New York City.
Under The Tulip Tree by Michelle Shocklee
When I was eight, I watched my mother disappear in fading pixels.
All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee was the 2025 Christy Award Book of The Year, and I can see why. This dual timeline novel told from 3 points of view is excellent! It covers hard topics with sensitivity and grace. I loved it!
She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.
1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.
1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.
In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.
Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels including ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW, the 2025 Christy Award Book of the Year; APPALACHIAN SONG, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award in Fiction; and UNDER THE TULIP TREE, a Christy Award & Selah Award finalist. As a woman of mixed heritage–her father’s family is Hispanic and her mother’s roots go back to Germany–she has always celebrated diversity and feels it’s important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction. With both her sons grown and happily married, Michelle and her husband make their home in Tennessee. She loves to hear from readers, so please connect with her at: http://www.MichelleShocklee.com.
My Impressions:
All We Thought We Knew is a historical novel set in America in the WWII and Vietnam-eras. It is told through the first person voices of Ava (1940s), her daughter Mattie (1960s), and the third person experiences of Gunther, a German student imprisoned as an alien enemy during WWII. Shocklee takes these complex times and fills them with personal perspectives and experiences that tell a whole, sometimes, painful story. Mattie is very opinionated about the role America should play in Vietnam. When her brother is killed there, she is filled with anger at just about everyone around her, but especially her father. She runs away from her grief, but is called home when her mother who is dying of cancer needs her. The second story set in WWII is an unveiling of her mother’s life and the secrets that the family has kept for so long. Wow, this book was hard to read at times. It took me longer than usual, but the emotions are raw, the issues are full of gray areas, and I needed time to process. I flew through the final quarter of the book though, as I grew invested in each character’s story. It was the best kind of reading experience. I learned a lot, a cried a bit, and I was encouraged by the growth that Mattie went through, the peace that Ava found, and the dignity that Gunther came to achieve. All We Thought We Knew is my book club’s first selection of 2026. I look forward to a great discussion.
Highly Recommended.
Great for Book Clubs.
Audience: Adults.
(I purchased this book from Amazon. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)
This month my book club chose All We Thought We Knew, the Christy Award-winning novel by MichelleShocklee. I finished it last night, and I am excited to discuss it with my group next Tuesday. This dual timeline story focuses on WWII and Vietnam-eras. Difficult issues are explored in thoughtful ways. Have you read it? Let us know what you thought.
Here’s the first line:
I deeply regret to confirm that your son Lance Corporal Mark James Taylor died in Vietnam 1 November 1968.
She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.
1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.
1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.
In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.
MichelleShocklee is the author of several historical novels including ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW, the 2025 Christy Award Book of the Year; APPALACHIAN SONG, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award in Fiction; and UNDER THE TULIP TREE, a Christy Award & Selah Award finalist. As a woman of mixed heritage–her father’s family is Hispanic and her mother’s roots go back to Germany–she has always celebrated diversity and feels it’s important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction. With both her sons grown and happily married, Michelle and her husband make their home in Tennessee. She loves to hear from readers, so please connect with her at: http://www.MichelleShocklee.com
Happy New Year! The best way to celebrate is with a new book! 😉 My book club’s first selection for 2026 is All We Thought We Knew by Michelle Shocklee, the 2025 Christy Award-winner in the historical fiction category and Book of The Year. Won’t you join us in reading it? If you have read it already, please let us know what you thought.
She was so sure she knew her family’s story . . . Now she wonders if she was wrong about all of it.
1969. When Mattie Taylor’s twin brother was killed in Vietnam, she lost her best friend and the only person who really understood her. Now, news that her mother is dying sends Mattie back home, despite blaming her father for Mark’s death. Mama’s last wish is that Mattie would read some old letters stored in a trunk, from people Mattie doesn’t even know. Mama insists they hold the answers Mattie is looking for.
1942. Ava Delaney is picking up the pieces of her life following her husband’s death at Pearl Harbor. Living with her mother-in-law on a secluded farm in Tennessee is far different than the life Ava imagined when she married only a few short months ago. Desperate to get out of the house, Ava seeks work at a nearby military base, where she soon discovers the American government is housing Germans who they have classified as enemy aliens. As Ava works to process legal documents for the military, she crosses paths with Gunther Schneider, a German who is helping care for wounded soldiers. Ava questions why a man as gentle and kind as Gunther should be forced to live in the internment camp, and as they become friends, her sense of the injustice grows . . . as do her feelings for him. Faced with the possibility of losing Gunther, Ava must choose whether loving someone deemed the enemy is a risk worth taking, even if it means being ostracized by all those around her.
In the midst of pain and loss two women must come face-to-face with their own assumptions about what they thought they knew about themselves and others. What they discover will lead to a far greater appreciation of their own legacies and the love of those dearest to them.
Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels including ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW, the 2025 Christy Award Book of the Year; APPALACHIAN SONG, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award in Fiction; and UNDER THE TULIP TREE, a Christy Award & Selah Award finalist. As a woman of mixed heritage–her father’s family is Hispanic and her mother’s roots go back to Germany–she has always celebrated diversity and feels it’s important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction. With both her sons grown and happily married, Michelle and her husband make their home in Tennessee. She loves to hear from readers, so please connect with her at: http://www.MichelleShocklee.com.
Happy Tuesday. I am Christmas binge-reading right now, but I am also looking forward to some great reading in the months ahead. Today my TTTWinterTBR list contains a couple of Christmas books I hope to finish up before New Year’s, some book club reading, and some just because reading. I hope you find a book to pique your interest!
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.
For more random book goodness, please visit That Artsy Reader Girl.
10 Random Books from My Book Shelves
The Cairo Brief by Fiona Veitch Smith
Code of Valor by Lynette Eason
Version 1.0.0
Every Hour Until Then by Gabrielle Meyer
A Gardin Wedding by Rosey Lee
The Secret Book of Flora Lee by Patty Callahan Henry
Happy Friday! I have heard so much about the books by Michelle Shocklee. Friends tell me that she is a must-read author. One even passed on novel, Under The Tulip Tree, exclaiming that I need to read it! So it now resides in the TBR stack. It is set during the Great Depression and features the Federal Writers’ Project. Tell me why it should be on top. 🙂
Here’s the first line:
“Pandemonium has broken out in the streets of New York City.
Sixteen-year-old Lorena Leland’s dreams of a rich and fulfilling life as a writer are dashed when the stock market crashes in 1929. Seven years into the Great Depression, Rena’s banker father has retreated into the bottle, her sister is married to a lazy charlatan and gambler, and Rena is an unemployed newspaper reporter. Eager for any writing job, Rena accepts a position interviewing former slaves for the Federal Writers’ Project. There, she meets Frankie Washington, a 101-year-old woman whose honest yet tragic past captivates Rena.
As Frankie recounts her life as a slave, Rena is horrified to learn of all the older woman has endured—especially because Rena’s ancestors owned slaves. While Frankie’s story challenges Rena’s preconceptions about slavery, it also connects the two women whose lives are otherwise separated by age, race, and circumstances. But will this bond of respect, admiration, and friendship be broken by a revelation neither woman sees coming?
Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels including APPALACHIAN SONG, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award in Fiction; and UNDER THE TULIP TREE, a Christy Award & Selah Award finalist. As a woman of mixed heritage–her father’s family is Hispanic and her mother’s roots go back to Germany–she has always celebrated diversity and feels it’s important to see the world through the eyes of one another. Learning from the past and changing the future is why she writes historical fiction. With both her sons grown and happily married, Michelle and her husband make their home in Tennessee. She loves to hear from readers, so please connect with her at: http://www.MichelleShocklee. com.
I am so behind on my reading! So far behind that today’s TTT topic was easy for me. I have been in a reading slow-down recently and it is taking me ages to get through a book. It’s not that I haven’t been reading great book. I have! But I have been very distracted of late, that it’s even hard to lose myself in a good book. My list today features authors whose books are on my shelves and those I have just heard about.
What about you? Who are some authors you are dying to read?
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