sincerely swaim

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

The Forests of Poland, 1941: Yona, a young woman raised in the unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart after years of isolation.

I have read many books set during World War 2 but never one with backdrop quite like this. The main character is an easy to fall in love with woman with a skillset so unique and captivating. I read the book in one sitting and almost wished I hadn’t so that I could have basked in the characters and their development, the setting and its magic, and the perseverance of an entire people group for much longer. An immediate recommendation to anyone who is a historical fiction fan.

The Secret Stealers by Jane Healey

Washington, DC + Paris, 1940s: Everything changes for Anna Cavanaugh, a restless young widow, when she’s recruited into the Office of Strategic Services. Then comes the opportunity to go undercover as a spy in the French Resistance to help steal critical intelligence that could ultimately turn the tide of the war.

She’s driven to make a difference―for her country and for herself. Whatever the risk, she’s willing to take it to help liberate France from the shadows of occupation and to free herself from the shadows of her former life.

This book has everything I want in a World War 2 story: an endearing heroine, espionage strategies, life-threatening danger, heart-wrenching love, and female champions. I read this quickly and felt immersed in the details Healey includes. As a reader, you learn alongside Anna Cavanaugh as she goes through many different story arcs from a secretary in DC to a spy in occupied France. I found it to be a very fulfilling read.

The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

San Fransisco, California, 1906: Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. Widower, Martin Hocking, proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie quickly develops deep affection for Kat, Martin’s silent five-year-old daughter, but Martin’s odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn’t right.

Then on the morning of April 18, a massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed.

I was immediately drawn to the first parts of this book’s description: Irish immigrant, New York tenement, mail-order bride. This book was enticing from the start because of the mysterious history of Martin Hocking. It continued to draw me in with the resilience of the female characters in the face of catastrophe and life-altering realizations. I found that the main character, Sophie was likable, well-developed and not a bit caricaturized as female leads often can be.

Deadly Threads by Jane K. Cleland

Rocky Point, New Hampshire, Present Day: Josie Prescott has begun hosting classes at her antiques and appraisals shop, nestled in her cozy little coastal town. The next class is on building a great vintage clothing collection. But when guest lecturer Riley Jordan is late, Josie begins class by reaching under a display table for a dazzling pair of Chanel heels. But instead of the heels, she finds Riley, dead. When it looks as if one of Josie’s employees may be involved in the murder, she teams up with the local police chief to investigate, one clue, and one fabulous vintage accessory, at a time.

During the week leading up to Valentine’s, the library had a “Blind Date with a Book” display set up, and I couldn’t resist picking something up. Each book was wrapped in white paper with red ribbon, only the barcode on the back exposed. Written on this book were the words: cozy mystery series, fiction, antiques, murder, vintage clothes. Knowing how much I do in fact judge books by their cover, I decided to unwrap this book with my eyes closed and began reading the first chapter without letting the cover influence me. Once I saw the cover, I smiled. It’s definitely not something I would ever pick up for myself. Everything about the book was simple in an endearing way. Not necessarily a page-turner, but not an early return either.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Bedfordshire, England, Present Day: Nora Seed finds herself faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

Winter has really been a winner for me. I don’t know if I’ve ever read two 5-star books back-to-back. The Midnight Library was such a fascinating concept of alternate realities without overreaching into the realms of Sci-Fi. It was thought-provoking, it was comforting, and it was entertaining from start to finish. Haig spins so much character development into short chapters that are rich with experiences and detail. I absolutely loved this and am recommending it to everyone.

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Montgomery, Alabama, 1973: Fresh out of nursing school, Civil Townsend hopes to help women make their own choices for their lives and bodies, especially in her African American community. While working at Montgomery Family Planning Clinic, Civil is shocked to learn that her new patients are just eleven and thirteen years old. Neither of the sisters has even kissed a boy, but they are poor and Black, and for some, that’s reason enough to have the girls on birth control. As Civil grapples with her role, she takes India, Erica, and their family into her heart. Until one day she arrives at their door to learn the unthinkable has happened, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them.

One of the most powerful books I’ve read. I can count on one hand how many books I’ve read in one sitting, and Take My Hand has become one of those few. The writing style is so captivating, the story is so unimaginable, the characters and their story is so worth rooting for that I couldn’t put it down. I’m looking forward to reading more of Perkins-Valdez writing in the future. She is a master storyteller.

Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams

Cocoa Beach, Florida, 1920s: Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France where she meets a charismatic British army surgeon. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.

This was a last-minute library visit addition to my reading for the month. I enjoyed the writing style and appreciated the tenacity of the main character, Virginia. However, parts of the story were disjointed as you traveled back and forth between Virginia’s World War I days and her experience unraveling in Florida. Afterwards, I tried another Beatriz Williams book and didn’t get very far before returning it.

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict

Berkshire, England, 1926: When Agatha Christie goes missing, her World War I veteran husband and her daughter have no knowledge of her whereabouts, and England unleashes an unprecedented manhunt to find the up-and-coming mystery author. Eleven days later, she reappears, just as mysteriously as she disappeared, claiming amnesia and providing no explanations for her time away.

Agatha Christie was an author who could create an unsolvable problem for the reader and withhold the solution until the final pages. This book mimics some of Christie’s writing style while focusing on Christie as the main character in her own mystery. Good read for fans of Christie, even if a bit slow during the alternating chapters that are from her husband’s point of view.