The Right Sort of Man by Allison Montclair

 The Right Sort of Man (the first in the Spars and Bainbridge series) by Allison Montclair is set in post WWII London where Iris and Gwen have launched a business adventure - The Right Sort Marriage Bureau,

Each of the ladies come from different backgrounds with hints of Iris being involved as a spy during the war and Gwen married into an upper class family. The mystery begins with the death of a new client and the subsequent arrest of another client whom they feel is innocent. 

Londoners have always been resourceful and make the best of situations shown especially during the period immediately following the war and I enjoyed reading about them both overcoming the obstacles in front of them. Also enjoyable for me was reading about an area of London where I spent my childhood. It was a fun read.

The Day the World Came to Town by Jim DeFede

 Most of us can remember where we were when planes crashed into the New York World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. But many passengers flying over the Atlantic Ocean had no idea that the United States had ordered all planes to either turn back or land in a different country (mostly Canada). For many pilots and air traffic  control, Gander Airport, Newfoundland was the most likely airport to accommodate so many planes. Although a town of less than 10,000 people, the airport had been built in 1938 and was used by English, American and Canadian air forces to re-fuel when heading to Europe to supply WWII troops and had once been the largest airport in the world. But even with a large runway, the town was ill equipped to accommodate over 6,000 people. Jim DeFede interviewed more than 180 people for The Day the World Came to Town to tell individual stories of how both the passengers and the people of Gander coped with an astronomical feat to help people who landed  without even a toothbrush (bags and cases were not unloaded because there was a fear of further terrorist attacks and possible bombs). The kindness and empathy the people of Gander showed is an amazing story.

Despite all the doom and gloom projected on the airwaves and televisions today, take time to notice the kindness that people share to each other and lets focus on that rather than the dissention and hate that make headlines. 

Garlands of Gold by Rosalind Laker

 

Garlands of Gold is a historical romance novel by Rosalind Laker. Although not a genre I normally read, I did find it an interesting setting in both Holland and England after the Royal family (Charles II) had been reinstated on the throne of England following the civil war and Puritan rule of Oliver Cromwell.  

Saskia is employed as a lady's maid in Rotterdam to an English family after her mother's death. She continues making her mother's beauty concoctions which she studiously records in a journal (she calls them receipts which apparently was a word used instead of recipes at the time). She falls in love with the son and is delighted to follow him to England with her mistress, but she soon discovers her love is unrequited and in an effort to become independent begins selling her beauty products.  

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel

 

Kristin Harmel discovered information about document forgers during WWII and, for the story, tied it in with the thousands of books stolen by the Nazis (organizations are still trying to reunite books with their owners). The Book of Lost Names follows the Jewish Abrams family. Eva Traube's father is arrested in Paris while Eva and her mother are looking after a neighbor's children. In anticipation of such circumstances, Mr. Taube had paid a forger to provide documents for the family to escape both France and their Jewish heritage names. Eva and her mother rush to the southern France Free Zone, using their new documents, and hoping to travel to Switzerland. But although there is little German occupation they remain wary of Nazi sympathizers and French police who are German collaborators. Eva comes across a sympathetic priest who finding Eva has artistic talent, offers her a job forging documents, especially for children. Fearing the children will be lost forever from their families, Eva devises a plan to keep records of the children's new and old names.

The Door to Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn

 The Door to Door Bookstore is described as a feel good book about books and friendship and that sums up Carsten Henn's novel.

From the cover:

Small town German bookseller Carl Kollhoff delivers his books to special customers in the evening hours after closing time, walking through the picturesque alleys of the city. When Kollhoff unexpectedly loses his job, it takes the power of books and a nine year old girl to make his customers find the courage to rebuild their bonds with each other.

Chateau Under Siege by Martin Walker

 Chateau Under Siege by Martin Walker is part of the Bruno, Chief of Police series and although some relationships were explained, I think it would be easier for the reader to start with the first book. 

From the cover:

The town of Sarlat, France is staging  a reenactment of its liberation from the British in the Hundred Years War when the play's hero is stabbed and feared fatally wounded. Bruno is tasked with the safety of his old Silicon Valley buddies, in town for a reunion. One friend goes missing and Bruno suspects there may be a link to the French government's efforts to build a chip industry in Europe.

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys

 The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys is set in Madrid, Spain in 1957 during the oppressive dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. Spain has begun welcoming tourists to a new Hilton Hotel, but the Spanish are sworn to secrecy as to the living conditions of the local people. Daniel, an 18 year old Texan, is visiting Madrid while his father brokers an oil deal. With a Spanish mother, Daniel is able to communicate with the locals in their own language and discover many secrets while taking pictures in his effort to win a journalism college scholarship. When he meets Ana, a beautiful employee at the Hilton Hotel, he delves deeper into the underbelly of Madrid, putting her family in danger - her parents had been republicans and killed for their fight against oppression.

My thoughts (spoiler alert):

The Fountains of Silence was a dramatic story with the juxtaposition  of life in Spain and that of those living in America. What I found most distressing in the book was the calculating and dishonest nuns and priests who saw newborn babies as ways to make money, stealing them (for costly adoption) from new mothers and presenting the young mothers with dead babies.

I visited Spain as a teenager during the Franco years in the 1960s and heard many talking about his barbaric regime, but it didn't make much sense to me at the time. Tourism only showed the amazing beaches and beautiful architecture and visiting from rainy England, the sunny climate seemed perfect to me. 

The Fountains of Silence will be added to my favorite books for the year.