Adult Summer Reading Patron Reviews: World War II Edition

Welcome back, Adult Summer Readers! This week we have a selection of books that share the theme of being set during or around World War II. There's nonfiction, literary horror, an alternate universe, romance, and historical fiction. And thank you again for all the book reviews you've been sending! Every one you write increases your chance of winning a Kindle Paperwhite Grand Prize. Remember you can also attend and log any of our summer programs too, or simply continue logging books you've read through August 17th.

If you still haven't joined our Summer Reading Program, now's the perfect time to do so! Register here and simply begin logging the books you've read this summer. Every adult who registers wins a prize at 3, 6, and 9 books logged.

Until next time, happy reading!

The Light Over London 
By Julia Kelly
This is a romantic story l really enjoyed and l usually don’t like romance novels. It takes place in England in two separate eras, WWII, and current 21st century issues. The characters, two very different couples, are linked by a diary located in early twentieth century furniture. It was found by a recently divorced antiques dealer. She gets lost in the story and so do you, the reader. The language is descriptive and the scenes of London and Cornwall very charming. This book has an unlikely ending. I recommend it.

~Nancy R.

The Calculating Stars 
By Mary Robinette Kowal
Set in the 1950s in an alternate universe where space exploration is brought on by a meteorite striking Earth near Washington D.C., a former WASP pilot from WWII, Elma York sets her sights on being one of the first women to become an astronaut. Elma and her engineering husband are influential figures in the International Aerospace Coalition’s mission into space. The main goal: colonizing another planet and soon. The meteorite brings not only weather and geographic changes, but social changes as well, albeit not without a fight from more conservative minds. Intelligent and skilled women from all over the world participated in the space program and had to fight to overcome gender inequality and racial segregation. I highly recommend this book for people who enjoy space related books (like Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly) and strong female characters.

~Lex P.

Churchill and Orwell: The Fight for Freedom 
By Thomas E. Ricks 
Fascinating look at two men that shaped the world we live in today. Churchill through his personality and vision helped guide England through WWII and Orwell took what he saw during the Spanish Civil War and WWII and wrote two of the most influential and prescient novels of the last century: Animal Farm and 1984. Weaving the two men together, Ricks gives an excellent tale of two incredible men that almost died (more on that when you read it) before making their changes.

~Cameron L.

The Devil Aspect 
By Craig Russell
If I had to assign this book to a genre in might be "literary horror", but it is actually much more than that. Set in Prague and the Czech countryside in 1935, the book features two protagonists, one a young psychiatrist seeking to plumb the depths of the human soul in search of the origins of evil; the other a seasoned detective seeking to solve a series of gruesome murders committed by a Jack the Ripper wannabe known as Leather Apron. Eventually their paths collide. The careful reader may anticipate the twist (and there is quite a twist), at the end, but it probably won't affect her overall enjoyment as she watches the plot unfold. The specter of the coming Nazi invasion hovers. The final chapter is haunting and begs the question "who are the real monsters?"?.

~Joy H.

The Flight Girls 
By Noelle Salazar 
I just finished an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC). The book comes out July 2. Nice WWII book. Nothing disturbing. Strong female characters and friendships about a woman pilot. First novel by Salazar.

~Tricia L.