You know Her Momness loves historical fiction, right?
“If historical fiction was a flavor, it’d be raspberry white chocolate cheesecake! With double hot fudge!” croweth Mom.
Why she says this, I don’t know. I do know she’s breaking out her Happy Dance. Because we’re reviewing three sturdy historical fiction titles today! All set during World War II.
Break out some extra spoons for Lilac Girls, Irena’s War, and The Orphan’s Tale:
Woof-hoo! It’s summer time, summer time, sum-sum, summer time! Doo-whop, doo-whop.
Kimber here. Mom and I are celebrating August with something a little special. I was lobbying for filet mignon. But nooooo! Mom decided on a quick run-down on recently read titles. To save you some time. So you can avoid the clunkers. And enjoy the goodies.
Public domain
And hey. What’s summer without baseball, right? So I suggested we categorize titles as either Hits and Misses or as Strike Outs and Home Runs. Brilliant huh? (Mom helped a little. But it was mostly me.)
So here are five kinds of each book. Five duds. As in, swing-from-the-heels strike-outs and don’t waste your time. And five awesome-dawsome, tail-wagging, bonafide home runs. (One is somewhere in the middle, depending on which bat you choose.)
So… batter up!
Talith: When the sky breaks open; transformation that changes you into who you are meant to be; into your very essence.
Kimber: I won’t grow up,
(I won’t grow up)
I don’t want to go to school.
(I don’t want to go to school)
Just to learn to be a parrot,
(Just to learn to be a parrot)
And recite a silly rule.
(And recite a silly rule)…
Mom: Kimmi, what in the world are you doing?
Kimber: I’m putting that book we just finished to music. You know. That one you said was – and I quote: “One of the most remarkable historical fiction/fantasy novels I’ve read in years.”
Mom: Oh. You mean Patti Callahan Henry’s The Story She Left Behind?
Kimber: Bingo! Now step away from the pixie dust and tell the peeps about this Totally PAWsome book already.
Mom: Roger that. Here goes:
Two thriller/suspense novels set in The Great Outdoors. By two different authors. One’s set in the Cowboy State. The other, Big Sky Country. One is by an outdoor/Western author we know well. The author is by someone we’ve heard of before. Both pack a wallop. Here’s why:
Kimber here. Telling you to hold on to your kibble. Or whatevs. Cuz Her Momness and I? We just finished one of them thar “barn burner” thingies. It’s historical fiction. Set in an oft-overlooked epoch. By an author who’s not exactly known for historical fiction. But this fella? Even though David Baldacci’s an acclaimed, best-selling author of action/thriller tomes, he doggone outdogg-ies his-self with Strangers in Time.
I know. I’m adorable.
I’ll let Mom tell ya more:
Ever grab a book that surprised the stuffin’ outta you? You thought it was about one thing. But it turned out to be something else entirely?
That happened to Her Royal Momness and I the other day. Swooping into The Book Place, Mom only had about five minutes to snatch some new-to-her titles off the shelves. So, cuz she loves the Northwest and the Cascades are like, Totally Pawesome, she took a chance on an unfamiliar title and an author we’ve never heard of.
When the cloak of night descended, and they were awash in the light of the stars, spattered cold and white across the bowl of night, the world seemed all at once larger and more mysterious.
Were we ever surprised. Like this:
Rieden Reece is busy. He must save his big bro. His Mom. Himself. And rescue humanity from AI “integration” (think The Borg). As in, the fate of the world hangs in the balance. So no pressure, broseph in this delightful and uber absorbing sci fi adventure for middle grade readers and up.
Here’s the 4-1-1:
“Run, Helena. Run!”
Mama’s terror-stricken shout echoes through the Warsaw sewers as Mama and daughter Helena flee marauding Nazis while the Warsaw ghetto goes up in smoke in this uber engaging and thoroughly absorbing historical fiction read set during World War II.
Having lost her entire family to disease and German brutality when the Sliwickis are forced into the infamous Warsaw ghetto, Helena hesitates when Mama tells her to run. But when the Germans grab Mama, Helena obeys. Running for her life, Helena soon realizes she’s lost everything. And everyone. Everyone.
Except Sparkle the cat.
When you feel most alone, not alone, are you…
Kimber here. Being all Magnificent and everything. Telling you about this really cool Young Adult fantasy-ish book Mom and I just finished. It’s called Within the Crystal Mountain. By J.L. Putney. And it is absolutely de-barkful! (Mom: That’s Kimber speak for “delightful.” Go figure.)
Now. Most hoomans will probably think this book is about magic and some kind of epic quest thingy. Naw. It’s really about my new best friend, Scraps the dog. Yeah. Scraps. More on that in a min. So kindly keep your shirt on, Toots.
Squirrel!
Wait. Where was I?
Oh yeah. Basic plot and stuff. Well:
He’s lost beloved friends. His wife. And his daughter. And with two pulls of the trigger, Oliver Stone has become the most hunted man in America. Meanwhile, whoever thought a sleepy little coal mining town in the hinterlands of Virginia would end up like the Wild, Wild West? But it doesn’t take long in this David Baldacci page turner.
Well. At least “John Carr” is finally dead. But can the same be said about the shadowy “Camel Club” and the even shadowier “Triple Six Division of the CIA” – aka: the agency’s “political destabilization arm”?
Pages & Paws 