My recently read books might be the stocking stuffers you are looking for!

It's been nearly 2 months since my last post.  The old saying is "time flies when you're having fun," right?  Well, I can't say I've really been having fun but time sure has flown.  We've had sad moments of saying hard goodbyes, frustrating moments of quarantining in the time of covid and some pretty mundane moments of day to day life.  I'll take those mundane moments any time.  Those mundane moments have allowed me to sneak in some great reads and wanted to share those with you. 

As I write this, I am thinking about the holiday season that is upon us.  Gift buying can be quite the challenge for me - it's really not my love language.  However, I do love when I find that perfect gift that instantly makes me think of the other person.  The photo I snapped above would be my perfect gift - a beautiful stack of books, some new, some used.  To be totally honest, I haven't read a single one of the books in the picture.  They were grabbed from my bookshelf that is jammed full of books to be read.  I had already passed my books for this post on to others or returned them to the library.  Also, I should let you know that I am an Amazon associate and may make a small amount from any purchase you make from my links (thanks in advance!).  Well, on to the books.  If you are looking for Christmas ideas, maybe my list will fit the bill! 

• The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.  Stellar.  One word is all I need to sum this one up and it is stellar.  Kristin Hannah does not disappoint.  I found myself unable to put this book down.  Hannah tells the story of two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle. Vianne resides in France and tries to maintain life after her husband is sent off to war.  She fights her battle to survive within the walls of her own home. Her sister Isabelle becomes involved in the French Resistance and smuggling people out of the country.  Each risks their own lives in unique ways.  I found myself again awestruck, as I am in most historical novels, that these kinds of things actually happened.  Nazis ended up taking over Vianne's home and she had to choose between letting them live with her or handing her home over and never getting to return.  Vianne gets rations that included sawdust and this is what people were expected to eat.  These things are eye opening and terrifying. However, through all of this, Hannah finds a way to give us hope.

       

• The Girl from Widow Hills by Megan Miranda.  I've actually read other books by Megan Miranda before and enjoy a good mystery.  Miranda tells the story of Olivia.  Olivia grew up as Arden. However, Arden was swept away in a rainstorm while sleepwalking and found days later in a storm sewer.  Arden had to change her identify to Olivia due to all of the fame, and not so well intentioned people, that followed her.  Olivia has started experiencing sleep walking again.  She wakes up to find herself beside a dead man, and Olivia doesn't know who to fear, or if maybe she should fear herself.  This one will keep you on the edge of your seat.

            

• Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah.  Yep, I got onto a kick of reading Kristin Hannah's books because they are good. So. Darned. Good.  In Winter Garden, Hannah tells the story of two sisters, Meredith and Nina. Every since they were small, their mother, Anya, has always been closed off, never warm and loving to her children.  As children could so easily do, Meredith and Nina assumed their mom didn't like them.  As they have their own hard goodbyes to make, they begin to learn about their mother's past through a fairy tale that she has tried to tell before but was unable to do so in it's entirety.  They learn about Anya growing up in war torn Russia.  It's heartbreaking to read about how the war affected and devastated so many countries.  And absolutely gut wrenching to read about the impossible choices people were forced to make.  I actually had my husband read this one and then sent my copy to a friend.

                 

• Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah.  Okay, I'm a broken record.  This was another awesome novel.  This was a different tone but really struck my roots as a social worker.  Hannah again star two sisters in this novel - Ellie, a small town police officer in Washington, and Julia, a psychiatrist in L.A. who has had her professional status questioned in the public eye.  A young girl, soon to be called Alice, arrives in the small Washington town with a wolf in her arm and displays wild, feral behavior.  Alice has to solve the mystery of who this child is and where she came from. She calls upon the expertise of her sister to help her solve this mystery.  We get to watch as this mystery is solved but so much else is discovered for Ellie and Julia.

        

• Homefront by Kristin Hannah.  Utterly amazing.  I actually found myself emotional at this book, which doesn't happen easily for me.  I know it is fiction; however, I also believe the author has done her due diligence to portray events as realistic as possible.  Hannah tells the story of Jolene, a mother of two, finding a delicate balance between her roles as mother, wife and National Guard soldier, until that delicate balance is toppled by Jolene being called to active duty in war ravaged Iraq.  To think that our soldiers go through the trauma they do when serving and come home to a world that doesn't understand how they have changed or know how to help, all the while they have spent every minute protecting their country and the hearts of their loved ones.

                

• Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon.  Can I use the word stellar again?  Sure.  This is my blog and I can make up the rules as I see fit, I guess.  I actually stumbled on this book by total accident.  I was searching my local library's catalog for kids books on coding and this title popped up.  I'm so glad that happened!  This book tells the story of Nancy, an Australian born French citizen and her fight for freedom in France.  As the title suggested, her code name is Hélène.  She assumes a new identify because of the danger that surrounds her.  She is a bad-ass (wait, can I say that?  Sure.  Remember, I write the rules).  Her grit, her determination, and her fierceness are inspiring.  This book was suspenseful as we see the costs and sacrifices of war, yet full of love and hope.  As I read this book, I actually thought of Isabelle in the Nightingale and her role in the Resistance.

                

There you have it, my list of everything I've read in the past 2 months.  I hope your holiday season, although likely very different from past years, is still a blessing.  Blessings can be found in the smallest of ways as long as we are looking for them.  We are all finding creative ways to connect and creative ways to keep ourselves busy. I just saw a social media post the other day that said something to the effect of reading lets us travel places right now we otherwise can't go.  What truth this is!  I hope one of these books leads you on your very own reading adventure!