Jencey's Writer's Corner

  Kristin Harmel’s book The Sweetness of Forgetting was her first World War II novel.  Recently, her publisher rereleased the book in 2022 with special features and updates.  I am a fan of Kristin Harmel’s books.  I found the recipes interesting and learned about some of the updates that Kristin made in this latest edition. Synopsis: “At thirty-six , Hope McKenna-Smith is no stranger to bad news. She lost her mother to cancer, her husband left her, and her bank account is nearly depleted. Her own dreams of becoming a lawyer long gone, she’s running a failing family bakery on Cape Cod and raising a troubled preteen. Now, Hope’s beloved French-born grandmother Mamie is drifting away in a haze of Alzheimer’s. But in a rare moment of clarity, Mamie realizes that unless she tells Hope about the past, the secrets she has held on to for so many years will soon be lost forever. Tantalizingly, she reveals mysterious snippets of a tragic history in WWII Paris. Armed with a sc...

  Today we move to World War I  and the adventures of the American Committee for  Devastated France (CARD).  This book appealed to me because it is about a librarian.  I also love history!  Author Janet Skeslien Charles is a new author to me.  I hope you are ready to go to war-torn France.  Synopsis:  “1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears. 1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she become...

  Colleen Oakley likes to pick interesting topics to write about in her book The Invisible Husband of Frick Island.  The main character is having a hard time moving forward with her life after the death of her husband.  What could go wrong?  Synopsis:  “Piper Parrish's life on Frick Island—a tiny, remote town smack in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay—is nearly perfect. Well, aside from one pesky detail: Her darling husband, Tom, is dead. When Tom's crab boat capsized and his body wasn't recovered, Piper, rocked to the core, did a most peculiar thing: carried on as if her husband was not only still alive, but right there beside her, cooking him breakfast, walking him to the docks each morning, meeting him for their standard Friday night dinner date at the One-Eyed Crab. And what were the townspeople to do but go along with their beloved widowed Piper? Anders Caldwell’s career is not going well. A young ambitious journalist, he’d rather hoped he’d be a national aw...

  Susan Nelson, in her adult debut, delves into the world of a librarian during World War II, which is inspired by real people.  What did a librarian do for the government?  Learn from Bea and Selene about their roles.  These roles were important and helped get critical intelligence to the allies.  Synopsis:  “Lisbon 1943. As two American librarians are drawn into a city of dangerous subterfuge and unexpected love affairs, they are forced to choose between their missions and the men they love. Brimming with evocative writing and meticulous research, award-winning author Suzanne Nelson spins a web of secret aliases, sweeping romance, and great sacrifice. With World War Two raging across Europe, best friends Selene Delmont and Beatrice Sullivan are enlisted by the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon—a sparkling city and hotbed of trouble, harboring exiled royalty, hunted refugees, and spies trading double-edged secrets in seductively dark corners. In ...

  While I love reading historical fiction, I am not a huge fan of the great depression.  Stephanie Dray is an author who focuses on women we may not know about in history.  Frances  Perkins was the first woman cabinet secretary.  She was the Secretary of Labor in FDR’s administration.  She was responsible for the New Deal and Social Security.  How did it all begin? Synopsis:  “Raised on tales of her revolutionary ancestors, Frances Perkins arrives in New York City at the turn of the century, armed with her trusty parasol and an unyielding determination to make a difference. When she’s not working with children in the crowded tenements in Hell’s Kitchen, Frances throws herself into the social scene in Greenwich Village, befriending an eclectic group of politicians, artists, and activists, including the millionaire socialite Mary Harriman Rumsey, the flirtatious budding author Sinclair Lewis, and the brilliant but troubled reformer Paul Wilson, with...

  Years ago, I listened to The Kommandant’s Girl by Pam Jenoff. I totally loved the book and thought surely there would be a sequel.  Yes, The Diplomat’s Wife carries many of the characters readers loved into this new story.  Where will the story go from here? Synopsis:  “1945 . Marta Nederman has barely survived the brutality of a Nazi concentration camp, where she was imprisoned for her work with the Polish resistance. Lucky to have escaped with her life, she meets Paul, an American soldier, who gives her hope of a happier future. The two make a promise to meet in London, but Paul is in a deadly plane crash and never arrives. Finding herself pregnant and alone in a strange city, Marta finds comfort with a kind British diplomat, and the two soon marry. But Marta’s happiness is threatened when the British government seeks her help to find a Communist spy—an undercover mission that resurrects the past with far-reaching consequences. Set during a time of great upheava...