Churchill's Secret Messenger by Alan Hlad

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a great day.

I recently received a book in the mail and before I could even get the package fully open my husband announced it was his.  Was it his? No, but something about this book intrigued him.  He loves most things spy related....hmmm....maybe I should start wondering about HIM!  Anyway, he is not a big pleasure reader so when he wants to read something, I encourage it.  Turns out he was quite mesmerized by this story, which he says is haunting.  I asked him to tell you about it.  His review follows.

I recently read Churchill's Secret Messenger by Alan Hlad. Set in the early days of World War II, it's about a young English woman who's recruited into a clandestine service to pose as a typical French citizen. Armed with her training, a few tools of the spy trade, and her prior familiarity with Paris, she finds herself parachuting into occupied France to courier coded communications between British Intelligence and the French Resistance. Having had a general interest in spies and cryptology, several books of the genre have made their way to my shelves. 

I now find myself with a difficult task. Without revealing any more of the plot, I wish to highly recommend this work. I realize it's a great deal to ask, to advise readers to avoid any other reviews, and not even to read the jacket blurbs, just to dive in and read it. Simply put, this book transcends the usual spy novel, and will not be one forgotten by the reader.   

Transcription by Kate Atkinson

Hello everyone.

If my spelling is off today, it is not really my spelling...well it could be, but I'm sticky. Why you ask? I did something housewifey today. I made flakey pastries with a chocolate cream filling, golden brown topped with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar. They are tasty and pretty but seems like a lot of work for something that will be gone so quickly. Although if I think what I'd pay for something like it in a store or coffee shop, hmmm, I guess the stickiness is worth it. It was a nice surprise for hubby too, who is working from home this afternoon. Speaking of hubby, this is the second and last of his reviews for the moment. He read and loved Transcription by Kate Atkinson. When I read him the plot, he was all in and dove into the book the second it arrived, not putting it down until it was over.

His thoughts:

Although the title suggests a somewhat mundane activity, typewriter keys drumming an erratic song as voices resonate from earphones, the assignment only begins that way. Set against a backdrop of the early days of England ’s entrenchment in World War II, the MI5 job suddenly casts a large shadow. The eavesdropping heroine of our tale is neither saddled with an escape-worthy past nor endowed with extreme talents. This everywoman quality makes it a comfortable fit for the reader to hear both her catty thoughts about a coworker one moment and tensely follow a flashback as duty tested her bravery and patriotic dedication to her newfound craft. Immersive and spanning a decade in the environs of London, the story will leave the reader pondering the character’s post-novel life, proof of a good tale. Mid-century and espionage fans will want to listen along with Miss Armstrong.      

Well there you have it, hubby read two books about spies and loved them both. I'll make a reader of him yet....picture Scarlet O'Hara in the scene with the orange sky where she says "As God is my witness I'll never be hungry again." If you have any suggestions about what to tempt him with now, let me know. Next time you are back to boring old me y'all.

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Hello everyone,

Have you noticed a change in the air lately? No, I haven't stopped cooking fish. We love fish and it is good for you, not to mention we live near the ocean. Nope, it's not the spring flowers starting to bloom. At our house the skies have parted and the book Gods have shined upon us once again. Oh yeah, you guessed it...hubby has started reading! All those years of me telling him endlessly about the books I've read and nah...he'd rather not read. I start burdening you, dear internet, with the books I MUST discuss and don't tell hubby...BINGO now he wants to read. Sure, he read a couple of thrillers last year just so he could see if he could spot the twists I missed. I am not talking about that. I am talking about bona fide, "Hey, that book sounds interesting, think I'll buy it and read it" kind of reading! Yes, I realize my purchases are increasing because he is now buying books, but this does give me the chance to  grab one for him, then tell him that while I was there I cleared just a "few" things off my wish list and chuck some books in the cart for myself. Tricky huh? I'm telling you, if you try you can justify anything to yourself (or sneak past hubby without leaving purchases in the trunk of the car).

So, I know you're curious as to what has drawn my non-reader into the world of ink and wonder. Well, for one think he loves how books smell, the older the better. I thought it was a wacko thing (although I like old book smell especially when combined with coffee) but I asked around and lots of people like the smell. It was actually spy novels. Now I love action books that often have some spy or a little military edge to them, like Green Zone Jack or my endless supply of James Rollins. I adore those kinds. No, he likes more hardcore spy stories, especially those that have to do with WWII and women. He says that women in France did a lot of spying at that time. Who knew? Course, if I read more spy stuff I guess I would. Anyway, I asked him to write just a paragraph about two of his recent reads. He is a much better writer than I am so please, do not get used to it. Here is the first one, it is The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff.

Risky shortcuts often take their toll, and postwar Manhattan is no exception. The romantic notion of American women returning to suburban homes from factory jobs has yet to be realized as citizens and an influx of immigrants maneuver for new lives in the melting pot. Widowed and set adrift in an unplanned existence, Grace inexplicably finds herself obsessed with solving a mystery. The reader is not left without the back stories, and is given an intimate look at the wartime lives of two women intertwined in the conflict across the Atlantic . The suspense builds, and the tale of survival and betrayal shines light on a less familiar but no less admirable group of women. Is Grace’s trust in the handsome friend helping her justified? This story of the British women’s effort in the French resistance keeps the reader intrigued to the last chapter.

Yep, hubby really liked it. He was "intrigued" which means he often asked to turn off the TV to read! If that isn't the sign of hubby enamored with a book I don't know what is.

Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Hello everyone.

I hope you had a nice weekend and have sprung forward successfully. You might be feeling a bit sorry for yourself because you're tired after losing that hour. Time changes can sometimes make you feel "off" for a few days. The fact is, however, that few of us should be feeling sorry for ourselves. Seriously, just look around the world. So many people in pain for so many reasons. Heck, look to our own past. Let's take the 1940's for example. Money is scarce, certain foods and supplies are rationed, not to mention the people dying in WWII. Now THOSE were some trying times. Several years ago we bought and restored an old Victorian home. In the 1940's it had been divided into apartments. It had started as a single family house with a ballroom, butler's bells, elaborate stairs, servants, the works. Sadly during the war families needed money and were often forced to either move in together or rent out parts of their home to make ends meet. That is what had happened to our old Victorian. As a side note, one day inside a false wall we found a staircase wall of raised paneling, many small panels still with picture hooks in place.  We found so many things behind walls and under floorboards, huge paintings, needlework, tin types, love letters, booze bottles, button-up shoes, a corset and more. I felt like we were on our own HGTV show. It was amazing! We even found a drawing from a National Gallery Artist, who used to live in our house and teach art classes there. We were younger and much more limber not to mention brave to take on such a large project. I will never forget it. The whole experience was "haunting" in so many ways. (You'll just have to wonder about that until some later date.)

This hardship is exactly what happened in the book Almost Home by Valerie Fraser Luesse. A couple, Si and Dolly, live in a small town in Alabama during WWII and are trying to raise money to pay the property taxes on their home. They've dug a lake to charge for swimming, built a roller-skating rink, and are renting out rooms in their house. This story is about the people living under the same roof and their challenges of making it through that time period. It is sweet, funny, comforting and so touching. While it is not a page turner like a thriller it will still draw you in like a warm hug.  The novel has a strong central plot with several twists along the way. The author does a wonderful job getting the reader to connect with each character and hope for their happiness. In short, Almost Home is lovely and really shouldn't be missed. If you liked Fanny Flagg's Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, you'll love this. Definitely one of my favorites for the year and it's only March!

By the way, our Victorian was later used as the set for a famous haunted house tv show! If I went back to that house now, the ghosts would probably ask to borrow my copy of Almost Home, it is that good!