Happy World Book Day!
April 23, 2024 is world book day and I am excited. As you might have guessed, I am a bookworm and lover of literature. In celebration, I share a brief summary of the five best works of fiction I’ve read so far this year.
I hope you enjoy.
5) The Gates of Rome, by Conn Iggulden
I am currently making my way through the full Emperor series and I’m on book #3 of five. So far I’ve given the first two books in the series five stars, and I’m likely to do the same for the remaining ones.
The Gates of Rome is a historical fiction based on the life of Julius Caesar. The first book begins with his childhood, long before he became a famous warrior and senator in Rome.
These historical fiction books are incredibly engaging and interesting, and extremely well-researched. While they are works of fiction, they do provide an incredible glimpse into the life and times of Romans in the first century.
4) The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey, by Serena Burdick
The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey is an interesting tale. It jumps back and forth between 1898 and 2006, creating a very interesting juxtaposition highlighting the differences — and similarities — between the two time periods.
The most interesting storyline for me was back in the 1900s. Evelyn Aubrey is a talented writer who is married to a famous author. When he experiences writer’s block and is unable to publish his own work, he steals his wife’s and passes it off as his own.
Unsurprising perhaps in the early twentieth century, however we should not pretend this doesn’t happen, albeit more subtly, even today.
3) A Most Clever Girl, by Stephanie Marie Thornton
This book was fascinating to me. I have read a lot of historical fiction set around the second world war, and particularly about strong female characters who played important roles during that time period.
A Most Clever Girl is set in late November of 1963, just after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, but focuses primarily on the years after the second world war ended and the cold war began.
It’s an incredible story of bravery and betrayal, of strong women and the valuable services they provided to their countries, mostly without credit or recognition for the risks they took and sacrifices they made.
2) The Little Liar, by Mitch Albom
This book was heart-breaking, brutal, and beautiful. The Little Liar is a short read, but packed so full of rich story and heavy emotions.
The Little Liar is set during the second world war, but in Greece. Most of the books I’ve read about this era were set in Germany, France, and the UK, so this provided a different perspective for me.
The book spans a few decades, illustrating the before, during, and after effects on the people and countries impacted by this horrible war and the atrocities perpetuated by the Nazis.
1) The Women, by Kristin Hannah
I loved this book.
The Women tells the stories of women who served during the Vietnam War. As many are aware, this war became highly controversial in America as citizens learned of the lies told to them by their own government. Veterans who returned home were met with very mixed emotions, sometimes outright disdain and hate, for the roles they played — albeit unwillingly.
Those who scorned the returning soldiers seemed to overlook the fact that the veterans were lied to just as much (probably much more so) than the citizens who stayed behind. They were some of the greatest victims of their government’s propaganda, but treated by some as undesirables.
Even more appalling was the lack of support provided to veterans when they returned with what they called “shell shock”, now understood as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). (We aren’t doing a hell of a lot better in modern times, by the way).
Women veterans seeking help after the war were disbelieved, told there were no women in Vietnam, and refused support from veterans services. This story covers so much in one book. It touches on some of the horrors faced in wartimes, the relationships developed during these shared traumas, and the aftermath of enduring such harrowing experiences with inadequate training and support (before, during, and after the war).
Happy reading!
Please feel free to share your own reading recommendations in the comments.
If you’re an avid reader like myself, feel free to follow me on GoodReads.
© Jillian Enright, Neurodiversity MB
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