From the Stacks
By Carol Ann Robb, PPL Reference Librarian
Ask anyone in the library’s Third Tuesday Book Discussion group and they’ll tell you that I love to read books set during World War II. Which means I’ve chosen quite a few titles that I believed they would enjoy, too. I couldn’t help but think, “if they read them, they will come to agree with me.” Apparently, that’s not always been the case.
But that didn’t stop me from sharing some of my favorites. I’ve come to really enjoy Jennifer Ryan’s books: “Chilbury Ladies’ Choir,” “Spies of Shilling Lane,” “Kitchen Front,” “Wedding Dress Sewing Circle”, and her most recent offering, “Underground Library.” They are set in England, as is “In Farleigh Field” by Rhys Bowen and one of my all-time favorites, “Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer.
“The Nightingale” by Kristin Hannah was on everyone’s list when it first came out and yes, it was good but I also recommend “Baker’s Secret” by Stephen Kiernan, “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay, and Charles Belfoure’s “Paris Architect” for anyone wanting a WW II story with a French setting.
“The Last Green Valley” by Mark Sullivan is a recent addition to my favorite WW II books—no one has yet to tell me they didn’t care for it. And for a feel-good US home front story, I urge you to read one of the few nonfiction titles on my list: “Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen,” by Bob Greene. If I had lived during that time, I would have wanted to spend my days helping out in that train station.
I’m not really sure why the ladies in the book group didn’t embrace my love for WW II stories—they aren’t all depressing reads—but there’s a book for every reader and a reader for every book. It just so happens that a lot of those books for me are set during the 1940’s (and I really think lots of people will like them, too!)