Delving into a different aspect of WWII

We’ve all heard the same sort of stories from WWII, fighting on the front lines, the fighter pilots and the blitz in London. What I haven’t read anything about before, which is my own fault, is what was happening in Africa. Despite this being a World War, most literature, both fiction and non, is based within Europe. That is understandable to an extent, this is where things kicked off. But to have read nothing from Africa? Well that changed after I read Devil Darling Spy by Matt Killeen. The sequel to Orphan Monster Spy, this book follows our protagonists from the first book into Egypt and beyond as they attempt to track down a lethal disease that seems to be man made.

(this post is spoiler free for both books)

I think the way that Matt Killeen portrayed racism within this book was well done, it explored the white saviour trope and how our main character Sarah has implicit bias. I also enjoyed the “letters” that Sarah wrote in her head when things were getting too much. This book was a great progression on from the first book, whilst still taking things in a completely different direction. I adore Matt Killeen’s writing, he is able to evoke powerful images in my minds eye as well as allowing you to empathise will all of the characters and their emotions.

I really do recommend picking both of these books up. Orphan Monster Spy delves into the life of young German girls, and Devil Darling Spy explores the less talked about aspects of the war and of white colonialism. Important topics to learn about and remember. I can’t wait to read more from him.

Who’s really the monster?

This is one of the few books that I have impulse purchased at full price… and then I took almost a year to read it. Yup, that’s me! I learnt about this book at the NYALitFest 2018, where I saw Matt Killeen on some panels at the con and found myself intrigued. Then I learnt that his book was about WWII and I was sold, hook line and sinker. So I bought it! And I got it signed! And it’s pretty! But it took me a while to read the damn thing. Eventually, though I have, in the space of two days, and I gave it 5/5*!

There are so many different nuances within this book, there is, of course, the main plotline of a young Jewish girl, with no parents to look after her, attempting to escape the Nazi’s clutches. Somehow (I won’t say how here as I enjoyed finding out within the plot of the book) she ends up in a Nazi boarding school for girls, as a spy. I had expected this school to be nice, I was so incredibly wrong and I found it fascinating.

Along with this main plot, however, there are also various subplots behind it that carry on throughout the book. I also would like to give a trigger warning (if you don’t want to see it, don’t read the inset below, I’ve made it a very faint grey).

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Paedophilic rape 

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These subplots really add an extra dimension to this book, without taking away from the main story, and I was so completely engrossed throughout this whole book. If you are at all interested in WWII or just a dramatic and intense historical fiction that draws you right into the MC’s world, then give this beauty a go! I honestly have no bad words to say and I look forward to reading so much more from Matt in the future!

FEBRUARY TBR!! | 2019

It’s time for us bookworms (well, a decent number of us) to decide what we want to read for the next month! February is a short one, and I also have 2 exams and a 5000 word assignment this month (and I have to do work on my thesis too) so this isn’t going to be a huge tbr. A little spoiler into my January wrap up, I didn’t read Fall of Giants. It was too much for me in my surgery month and it’ll be too much in this hectic time at uni so I’m not adding it to my tbr again this February. Instead, I have three smaller books!

All the Walls of Belfast by Sarah J Carlson -> RELEASE DATE: 12th March 19

This is an arc copy of a book set in the capital of Northern Ireland, as a woman who is half-Irish, and grew up in America, comes back to meet her father and explore his world. If all goes well there’ll be some cool stuff up on the blog closer to March for this one. Fingers crossed!!

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher

I couldn’t resist picking this up from the charity shop (thrift shop for non-Brits) and I know that if I don’t read it soon it’ll collect dust on my shelves for a while. So I’m intending to read this sooner rather than later so I can actually get the enjoyment out of it that I wanted when I bought it!

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen

Simply put I’ve owned this for far too long and I really need to read it!! As it’s YA and a topic I love to read I’m really hoping that this’ll be a speedy one and I’ll be completely sucked in and absorbed.

 

And that’s it! Again, another short tbr. But I never stick to this small number of books and always end up reading something else (my smallest reading month since tracking was 4 books) so fingers crossed I’ll get to some more books as well, but I’ll only stick to these three for now so I don’t overwhelm myself.

What are you wanting to read in the coming month?

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit

Another WWII book, and one I’m really glad I picked up. This one is unique in that it follows a man and a girl wandering through the wilderness, avoiding the Nazis and trying to stay alive through the seasons.

Anna loses her father when he is taken by the Nazis, and at seven years old was left without anyone to help her. Until the swallow man. He happens to be around when she is sat around and takes a liking to Anna, letting her tag along with him.

This book elicited lots of different emotions from me, with some sections being incredibly sad, disturbing, and once Anna was older there were also some creepy and uncomfortable moments that I hadn’t been expecting when I started this book.

The ending of this book may seem unsatisfactory to some, as it is left very open. However, I surprisingly liked this as we are as knowledgeable as Anna is and what with our understanding of the past we can infer some of what will happen in the future.

Overall this was a very unique little book that I’m very glad I read, and I obviously gave it 5*. There are so many little nuances that I would’ve loved to mention but I didn’t want to spoil anything! So you’ll just have to go read this little gem for yourself to find out what they are 😉

September Wrap Up| 2018

I didn’t manage to read all of my September TBR (click here to see that) this month for various reasons. Two books I own physical copies of, and they weren’t coming to uni with me. I didn’t manage to get to them before I left as I was busy preparing so they are unread. There was also one eARC, which I simply didn’t have time for, and I also DNF’d one book. But I’ll talk about that a little further on, as well as having a separate review for it in more depth in the future.

Shattered by Teri Terry (Slated trilogy book #3) ***** 5 stars!!

I have greatly enjoyed every single book in this trilogy and it’s a crime that it took me so long to get to books 2 and 3! A really engrossing and well-written series that I also feel has managed to be unique in an oversaturated world of dystopian young adult literature.

Aaru by David Meredith (Aaru Cycle book #1) **** 4 stars

This book surprised me. I will admit that I was disappointed in the beginning, but as you can see by my star rating I ended up enjoying! Click here to see my review on Goodreads, or it’ll be up on my blog sometime soon!

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit ***** 5 stars!!

A book which has been on my Goodreads TBR, but not my physical one, for a while. My lovely mother bought me it as a treat when we visited an independent bookshop and I read it soon after. I absolutely adore literature based in WWII and loved the observation of Anna growing as a woman in her time with the Swallow Man.

The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson **** 4 stars

This wasn’t as enjoyable for me as his book “So You’ve Been Publically Shamed”, however, I still did read through this very quickly and enjoy it. A lot of interesting thoughts to consider about psychopaths, their role in society and more. A good pop-psych (although not great on an actual psychology level).

Of Blood Exhausted by Jemahl Evans (The Blandford Candy Series book #3) **** 4 stars

No image here as I was beta reading this book for Jemahl, another great addition to this historical fiction series set in the English Civil War (1600s) and I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys the genre. As far as I can tell from a laywoman’s pov, (and he was also a teacher so this should add some weight), it is historically accurate from what we know of the time. As well as being humorous, realistic, and fully retaining your attention.

Happier Thinking by Lana Grace Riva *** 3 stars

I was sent this book to review by Lana, and I will hopefully be uploading a full review post of it soon. It’s definitely a positive review, however, I’m not 100% sure of what star rating I’m going to give it currently, so it’s subject to change. A good book that’ll make you aware of negative thoughts and provide possible ways to alter this.

The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah (New Hercule Poirot Mysteries book #3) **** 4.5 stars

I got this book from NetGalley to review, and I adore Christie’s style of writing, so I was intrigued. I absolutely loved this rendition and 100% want to go back and read the previous 2 books released within this series by Sophie Hannah. The writing, I feel, is done incredibly well and I found it genuinely hard to put down! I love a good classic mystery!

Time School by Nikki Young *** 3 stars

An 8-12 (middle grade for North American readers) book involving traveling back in time to a school during the WWI period. There was very little depth within the story, and I know that it’s aimed at a younger audience but this is still something that can, and in my opinion should, be included. Other than that, I enjoyed the plot and the emphasis of remembering those we lost during world wars (and other wars) and being thankful for their sacrifice. A good way to bring this story to life for younger children.

The End of Chiraq edited by Javon Johnson and Kevin Coval *** stars, DNF

I struggled with this book, and as I said at the start, this needs its own in-depth review. There were 2 reasons I DNF’d this book, one is that the style of the writing was not for me. The second was that I felt that the book wasn’t intended for me. I was not the audience that it was directed at, as a white British female, and although there are cases where this doesn’t matter I felt like this was very much not for me. I know more now about Chicago and the cultural and economic divide, but I also feel that this was written by the black people of the city for the black people of the city. I felt like I was intruding. Like I said, this needs its own review, and I need to find a way to express my feelings fully so that I don’t accidentally insult someone. But for now, this will suffice.

And that’s it folks! That’s all the books I read this month, and I really enjoyed loads of them! Fingers crossed next month can be as good in terms of star ratings and reading quantity!

Have you read any of these books? Are you going to? Let me know! I want to chat, recommend and gush!

That Old Black Magic, a review

First of all, thank you for NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review. I grabbed this book as it was set in WWII times, no surprise there. However, I didn’t re-read the synopsis before diving into the book so this was all I knew, and lord was I confused! But, obviously, this was all my own fault and I managed to catch up to the gist of the plot by 20-odd% through.

This book engages in the mystical and the unknown, following a Scottish policeman in his work to uncover German spies. He manages to tangle himself up in a world of magic and spirits, with people supposedly speaking to the dead and transferring messages from the other side as well as being part of curious cults (for want of a better word) who terrify and control their members. Essentially this is a very odd book which mixes the occult with British 1940s/50s values and it’s incredibly entertaining.

I was invested in the plot and hooked right to the very end, I absolutely loved the mystery present within the story and how it entwined itself into the fantastical plot and the societal feelings of the times. Our Scotsman protagonist is a great viewpoint for the story, but there are also other points of view dotted about within the book which encompass the story more fully and allow for the reader to gather the gist of events and their relevance to each other.

I whole-heartedly recommend picking this book up if its synopsis intrigues you, as there are so many dimensions to this novel that something is sure to spark your interest! I definitely enjoyed the reading experience.

The Girl in the Blue Coat – a review

Yet another WWII book, nobody who follows me is surprised. But let’s be real I’m not going to stop, so let’s get into my review.

I listened to this book, as an audiobook, thanks to my libraries online app. Although this let me read the book when I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to due to time constraints, I feel like it also distanced me from the characters and what happens to them. This could be Monica Hesse’s writing style, but it seems to happen more frequently to me with audiobooks so I’ll have to read a physical copy of this book in order to find out. This distancing meant that I wasn’t massively impacted by the events as they happen to the characters, however, this doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the book. I gave it 4/5*s! I just didn’t cry at any of the plot twists, which is why it didn’t hit the 5* mark.

We follow Hanneke as she is working within the black market during WWII in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We see her making deliveries during the day, hiding what she does from her parents at night, and morning her boyfriend Bass in every moment as he was killed on the Dutch front lines. During a standard delivery, one of the women wants help from Hanneke, it turns out that she wants her to try and find a Jewish teenager that she was hiding in a secret room. She has vanished and the woman is incredibly concerned for her safety. Eventually Hanneke is convinced into helping find her, and the web of the Dutch resistance closes in around her and opens her eyes to the horrors of the Nazis.

I really enjoyed watching the various characters develop, come to trust each other and work to help those worse off than them. This is also, unless I am remembering incorrectly, the first WWII book I have read which was set in the Netherlands and followed Dutch characters. It was very interesting to me to see how this country was impacted by the Nazis regime and how the Dutch people resisted in little and large ways.

This is a beautifully written book and personally I think it is a very important topic. Books set in WWII, in all different areas, all have something that can be taken away from them and applied to the modern day. This book tells us that we should help those who are being treated inhumanely, and to use our privilege to help as many people as we can. Don’t let horrendous acts happen under your nose in your own country, and not take action against them. Even if no one else knows that you’re doing it.

I definitely recommend this book and I aim to try out anything else Monica Hesse releases.

In the Shadow of Hitler

Firstly I would like to say thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this book in return for an unbiased review.

I love reading any literature based in and around WWII, as anyone who follows me will know! So when I saw this on NetGalley it was an instant request (and is why I don’t look on the “Find” page on NetGalley anymore! There are so many good books waiting and I have limited time!).

This book for me had an interesting start and middle, but a disappointing end. We follow an English lawyer named Adam who is speaking to Nazis who have committed atrocious crimes during the war. While he is doing this draining job he meets Rose, a high-born German girl who has resorted to prostitution in order to survive in the wreckage and rubble left of her town, and he proceeds to fall in love with her.

This book shows us a few different time frames around the war, showing us briefly Adam’s time at Normandy as a Lieutenant and his part in the war, Adam’s ‘present day’ after the war has ended and trying to find justice for the crimes committed, and also we look back through Dr Ernst Mann’s life and the times which he met Hitler and felt that it was his fault the man came to power. The times that he failed to stop him, despite not knowing what he would become.

I really enjoyed the various different plot lines running through this book and enjoyed seeing different perspectives around this war, especially seeing what happened within Germany after the war was over. Sadly the end of the book seemed to wander and not know where it was going, the conclusion felt short and not fully thought out. If this had been done better I would’ve given the book 4* instead of 3. However, I still recommend this book and will be looking out for more from Richard Vaughan-Davies in the future.

The Information Officer

I picked this book up completely at random when I was volunteering at the BHF (British Heart Foundation) in my first year of University. They had a book section which I got volunteers discount on so I ended up buying lots of books which I shouldn’t have! I only picked this up at first as it was set within the time period of WWII, which will make me pick up just about any book. I ended up enjoying the book a lot more than I thought I was going to. Set during the war, but not within mainland Europe and with many side plots which aren’t usually explored, it’s a different story to what I’ve been used to and one which will draw you in. We follow our main character within his deployment and the learning curve he goes on about life on this island and also life during war times. I loved the realistic approach to this book, with the events not being overly unrealistic like some other pieces of war-based fiction I have read. This was a surprisingly good book for a random charity shop (thrift shop/op shop) find and I’m looking forward to reducing my huge tbr pile so that I can go charity shop hunting again!

 

 

Becoming Mrs Smith, a novella to break your heart

The first thing I need to address – this book made me weep. For some reason I am a masochist when it comes to WWII set books, I love them but they love to hurt me. This is 100% a 5 star read!!! This novella knows how to pack a punch!

This book is based around a woman living in South Decota (USA) before and during the second world war, showing her life and how she matures from a young girl into a young woman attempting to keep going in a world which seems to be limping onwards into danger. As the book is a novella, a lot happens in a very short time which makes it hard to explain without giving anything away! Our protagonist Violet leads a life of constant worry when her childhood sweetheart signs up to the war effort and she is left wondering whether she will ever see him again. This book absolutely wrenched my heart out, made me weep and managed to make me have pretty intense feelings about the next book in this series within 2 small paragraphs at the end of the book. Definitely a series I am continuing and will be recommending to all of my friends!

Tanya E Williams offers an excerpt of the book on her website: https://tanyaewilliams.com so definitely head there if this book sounds like your cup of tea. Thank you to Tanya and NetGalley for an eCopy of this book in return for an unbiased review, I have found a new favourite book and a series I will follow!