Reading, Writing & Pondering

    Twelve Days and Twelfth Night by Sarah Sundin is a Christmas novella set in San Diego during World War 2.  World War 2 USO Director Maggie Oliver is in charge of putting on a Christmas show in San Diego for thousands of sailors. She enlists Prescott Duke, a former Hollywood heartthrob who hasn't acted since an accident left him with burn scars. Maggie and Prescott are inspired by Shakespeare's Twelth Night and the Twelve Days of Christmas to put on a show that will lift the sailors Christmas spirits. Can they put it together in time? Also, what about the secret that Maggie discovered? I enjoyed Twelve Days and Twelfth Night . It is a romance and, since it is a historical novella, things happen fairly quickly in the story. I especially liked the history that the author included about the area and Balboa Park. I was in San Diego a couple of years ago and saw some of the areas in the story. I like how the author brought this history and part of the country to life. Her ...

  Mists over the Channel Islands by Sarah Sundin is her latest World War 2 historical novel. I always enjoy Sarah's books as she shares interesting aspects of World War 2 within her story. I enjoy the story itself but I also learn some history I previously didn't know. In 1944, the Germans invaded the British Channel Islands. I didn't know where these islands were but the author has a map in the front of the novel to help readers understand their location. Within this aspect of the story, Dr. Ivy Picot is working hard to keep her family's medical practice afloat amidst the challenges and changes from the war.  Meanwhile, Dutch engineer Gerrit van der Zee goes to the Channel Islands as part of the resistance along with his friend Bernard. Together they pretend to work for the Germans while smuggling information back to the allies. Before long they meet Ivy's brother, Charlie, who joins them in their work, unbeknownst to Ivy. Gerrit and Ivy meet but Ivy believes Gerr...

  My love for Scotland and for Sarah Sundin's books merged into one in Sundin's newest release, Midnight on the Scottish Shore. As is typical with her books, this one is set during World War Two. Cilla van der Zee is struggling to survive in German-occupied Netherlands. As she reaches a point where she can't take it anymore, she volunteers to become a spy for the Nazis. In doing so, she hopes to escape to England and connect with some distant family members there. However, things don't go as planned. Cilla washes up along the Scottish shore where she is discovered by naval officer Lt. Lachlan Mackenzie near his family's estate. He believes she is a spy and turns her over to the authorities to be executed. However, British Intelligence believes she is more useful alive than dead and she becomes a double agent. Soon after that, Lachlan is forced to provide her with naval intelligence and they must work together to outsmart the Germans as part of England's M15 prog...

    Are you a fan of World War 2 history? If you are, I encourage you to read Sarah Sundin's historical fiction if you haven't read her books yet. Until Leaves Fall in Paris by Sarah Sundin is her second book in this series following When Twilight Breaks. I think they are better as a series but it can also stand alone. In Until Leaves Fall in Paris, Lucie Girard is a ballet dancer with the Paris Ballet and then the Nazi's march toward Paris. When her Jewish friends feel that they must escape she buys their English-language bookstore and continues to run it. When the Germans make it difficult for her to keep the bookstore afloat, she works with the resistance passing secret messages through books.  Through the bookstore, Lucie meets Paul Aubrey, a widower, who brings his little girl to the bookstore. Paul is an American who chose to stay in Paris and keep his factory running while passing German information along to the Americans.  I enjoyed Lucie and Paul's story. Th...

The Lines Between Us by Amy Lynn Green is a historical novel based on World War 2. However, this book isn't like any other World War 2 novel that I have read.  Gordon Hooper and Jack Armitage stuck to their values as conscientious objectors and fight fires in the Pacific Northwest. Jack's Sister, Dorie Armitage, is a member of the Women's Army Corps. While working as a smoke jumper, Jack is badly injured. Dorie takes leave and investigates the accident to see what really happened. Before this time, Jack and Dorie were at odds with one another as they held opposite positions regarding the war.  Green based The Lines Between Us on the true stories of men and women who had these roles in the war. This book has both history and a mystery. I thought The Lines Between Us was interesting. I learned a lot about some history that I hadn't heard about before. I also thought there were some parallels to American culture today as families quarreled over opposing views during th...