July-September 2019 - 20th Century: WW2 (1939-1945)

Lots happening then in the background of the war, of course, what with Enigma, developing the bomb, etc.

See tag WWII for ideas: https://www.librarything.com/tag/WWII

Don't forget to update the wiki with your reading: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php?title=Reading_Through_Time_Quarterly_The...

Not by design, but this time period seems to have claimed much of my reading time this year. I've read about 5 books on occupied France and 2 on Berlin during WWII. Being a teacher of a Holocaust class, many students buy me books they think I should read--so I have an abundance of Holocaust books, also. (Some good and some I probably won't read). Now it will just be a matter of what to choose for this read.

For whatever reason, many of the remaining unread historical fiction ebooks I own are set during WWII. Just quickly looking, here are some of my options: Daughters of the Night Sky, Last Train to Istanbul, The Orphan's Tale, The Snow Gypsy, The Tuscan Child, The Ragged Edge of Night, Without a Country, The Women in the Castle, and War Brides. This will give me an opportunity to knock a few more of the books off my to-read list, although I don't want to rush through the books either. It seems worthwhile to slowdown and learn as many historical details as possible from the books, even if that means doing some research through other sources.

I am just finishing up listening to the audio version of The Lost Girls of Paris, which would also work for this theme.

Thanks for including the timeline, Jean.

I read My Mother's Secret by J.L. Witterick. This was a story of Nazi occupied Poland, based on true events and a true person. There were 6,000 Jews in Sokal, Poland, before the Nazi occupation, and only 30 remained after the Germans left. Franciszka Halamajowa was responsible for saving 15 of those 30 Jews. The writing was nothing fancy or grand, but the story was simple and poignant. 183 pages 4 stars

>3 This-n-That: I have read Last Train to Istanbul (3 stars) and have The Tuscan Child and The Lost Girls of Paris on my ereader. I think we read a lot of the same type of books!

>5 Tess_W: Yes, it definitely sounds like we have similar taste in books, especially historical fiction. :-) There are so many historical books I'd love to borrow through the library too but I cannot read that quickly. Well, I prefer to take my time or at least not speed-read my way through a book.

>7 This-n-That: Yes, I also like to take my time, although I am a very fast reader. When I'm reading historical fiction and I come across a name or place within a story that I am not familiar with, I stop and research it and sometimes meander for days before I get back to the original book. I'm a teacher and many of the kids through the last 23 years get me gift cards to Amazon or B&N and so I mostly buy my books. On the last day of school this year I netted $100 in Amazon gift cards, $25 to B&N, and $20 to Panera! Haven't spent my gift cards yet. I will probably spend the one at B&N on my 2 youngest granddaughters (ages 1 & 3) for a birthday book. I should buy books on Amazon.....but I've got my eye on this air fryer!

>8 Tess_W: Enjoy all those gift cards and whatever you purchase with them. :)

I too have read a large number of books in this category over the past few months--13 at last count, so I'm trying to take a break.

Got a head start and completed D. E. Stevenson's The Two Mrs. Abbotts. Published in 1943, the war is a muted background theme. Mostly humorous and light-hearted, it was probably welcome escapist reading for the time.

>10 cfk: That is a significant amount of WWII books and it is understandable you'd need a break from the subject. I probably will only fit in one or two books since I just completed a WWII themed audio book. Poor planning on my part, as I should have held off for a month.

The Cut Out Girl: A Story of War and Family, Lost and Found by Bart van Es. The author’s grandparents in the Netherlands took Jewish children into their home during the war, something that was never talked about but which sparked his interest nonetheless. In the course of his research he meets Lientje, now in her 80s. They become friends as she recalls her past. Some of Lientje’s family and childhood photographs are included in the book.

I have read many World War II and Holocaust books but none that I recall from this perspective and few set in Holland. It won the 2018 Costa Book Award for Biography. I highly recommend it.

I have read and enjoyed all of the books in the Maisie Dobbs mystery series. Every one of them has been good and The American Agent is no exception. The stories are believable and engaging and she gets all the little details right.

I was surprised that the main action in Die Entdeckung der Currywurst takes place in May 1945, before the Third Reich surrendered. Although the invention of curried sausage happened a few months later, I'm still counting it here, as it gives a very good insight into the mindset of people at the time.

I, too, have really enjoyed the Maisie Dobbs series! So well done.

I teach about WWII in 3 different courses, so I do a lot of reading in this category. My 2nd read for this topic is: The Lost Eleven: The Forgotten Story of Black American Soldiers Brutally Massacred in World War II by Denise George is the story of the Wereth 11; a group of African-American soldiers in WWII who were brutally tortured and killed by the SS. Wereth is a small town in then German Belgium, close to the Battle of the Bulge. These poor guys were brutalized before being shot (bayoneted in private parts, eyes bayoneted and then dug out, etc.) It is suspected that they were treated so badly because they were black. Despite their bravery and sacrifice, their murders were not prosecuted along with the others at Nuremburg; although their files were kept in the U.S. Archives. In 1994, at the site of their execution, a memorial was built in their honor with private funds. This was a non-fiction book which drew upon first-hand accounts of family members and fellow soldiers. Only 3 stars as the author created thought dialogues; which puts it in the realm of historical fiction rather than non-fiction.

D-Day and the Battle of Normandy (Pitkin Guides) was a nice glossy color photo book (with explanations) that I picked up when I visited France in 2005. This clearly brought back the emotion(s) I felt while standing on Omaha Beach and thinking what those brave men sacrificed for people they didn't even know.

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson is the true story of Leon and his family rounded up to live in the Krakow ghetto. From Krakow moved to Plaszow and then to Emalia, Oscar Schindler's plant. Amazingly 5/7 of these family members survived Plaszow, Flossen, and even Auschwitz due to Schindler. There was nothing new in this book, but it was given to me by a student. I can happily report in two weeks to him that I read it this summer. 278 pages

>13 marell: I really liked The Cut Out Girl when I read it last year. It was a very different perspective on the war.

I was thinking about a book to read for WWII and realized I had just read one. Scholars of Mayhem was the true-life story of the author’s father who, as a young man, was parachuted into France just after D Day to help to coordinate the efforts of the various groups of the French resistance. I am intrigued at how the story was pieced together from records and memories.

The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen was the story of a young woman who joined the Land Girls of England during WWII. They were placed at different farms during the war to work the land because they men were off at the front or had been killed. It was hard, brutal work. I liked this historical part of the novel; but not so much the romance part. I'm not a romance fan, per say. This book seemed a bit superficial; but still a good read. 347 pages 3 1/2 stars THIS TOOK PLACE DURING WWI---BUT I'LL LEAVE IT HERE!

I think it was the basis for Land Girls, a tv Brit series shown on Pbs (Now on Netflix) I really liked it

https://www.netflix.com/title/70221085

I liked the show Land Girls too.

I'm always interested in stuff about the land girls, as my mum was one so I had a look on my library's site for The Victory Garden and it was set in WWI. My understanding is that the tv show Land Girls was set in WWII.

see link on `-23

>25 Familyhistorian: You are absolutely correct, Meg. I made a serious typo there, and it has now been corrected. However, the original land girls disbanded at the end of WWI. The group was reformed in 1939 and at that time more than 80,000 were employed. Since I knew they operated in WWII, I just "assumed" this was when the book took place.......but how wrong! But the Netflix movies are billed as WWII .....

Another WWII book, The Parisians was a superb read. It was heavy on the real persons (a good thing) such as Coco Chanel, Hermann Goring, Arlette (Machal), athlete Violet Morris turned Gestapo torturer and Swedish Raol Wallenberg. Most of the action takes place at the Ritz Hotel, which the Nazis did commandeer (with a 90% discount) as their headquarters. A great book depicting both the collaborators as well as the resistance.

The book I just finished, Electric Hotel is about the history of cinema, then continues with photography during WWII. I found the history fascinated (long been a fan of silents) but the rest just seemed labourous. and story unrealistic

.Finished Old Baggage Covers pre II Liked the story of former suffergets tries to influences the girls in the village in equallity. Apparently this is a sequel and I suspected needed to read it first. Lots of secrets, and lots of lectures When the main character do something so not in character, kinda finished it for me

Started A Thousand Beginnings and Endings a collection of short stories based on folk tales of southeast asia. Love that each author explains how the folk tale influences her take on the story she wrote. Could have used a few pages to explain foreign words, otherwise really loving it.

Little Boy Lost by Marghanita Laski was a compelling and page-turning novel about a British soldier who goes looking for his lost young son in France in 1945. A great human story which raises many ethical questions. All packed in 220 pages.

>27 Tess_W: I was kind of surprised that I hadn't picked up The Victory Garden as I like Rhys Bowen and like to read as much as I can about Land Girls in WWII. I was trying to remember why I hadn't bought it which is why I had a look, Tess.

Away All Boats by Kenneth Dodson is a novel about a fictional attack transport ship, the U.S.S. Belinda, which fought in the battles of Makin, Kwajalein, Saipan, the Philippines and Okinawa. The author states that the task-force movements, beachhead assaults and principal enemy air attacks described are historically accurate.

After a bit of a slow start, it got going. There were technical things and some terms I didn’t understand about the running of the ship but I found it quite fascinating how many different roles this type of ship played in the war and getting to know a bit about the men and their jobs. I enjoyed this book very much.

My WWII Quarterly Reads were:

Tallgrass, Sandra Dallas (Japanese internment in the states)
Crow Call, Lois Lowry (childrens; war-absent father returns)
Lost in Shangri-La, Mitchell Zuckoff (downed sight-seeing plane from military base)
The Chilbury Ladies Choir, Jennifer Ryan (ladies form choir after men leave for war)
The Kommandant's Girl, Pam Jenoff (Jewish girl takes job at Nazi HQ in her relative's town)
Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein (young women doing their part in the war)