Traditionally, January and February are slow months for me as far as scheduled reviews go.  Not so in 2019!  My winter calendar is already bulging with books that need to be read and reviewed.  All of these are new (and new-ish)  releases and yet, there are still more bright, shiny 2019 books that I'd like to get to in the near future.  I'm going to hit you with a list of 10 (okay, 12) in just a sec, but first ... If you want to join in this week's Top Ten Tuesday fun (and you totally do), click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read up on a few TTT guidelines, make your own list, and spend some happy hours visiting other people's blogs to peruse their lists.  It's a good time!  Not to mention a great way to discover new blogs, drop in on old favorites, and of course, add great-looking books to your TBR list. 

Okay, here we go with my Top Ten (Ahem, 12) Most Anticipated Book Releases for the First Half of 2019:


1.  The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner (available March 19)—I'm actually almost finished with this dual timeline novel about an 81-year-old woman with Alzheimer's who's desperate to find and thank an old friend she met at the Crystal City, Texas, internment camp during World War II before her disease erases all her memories for good.  It's an intriguing novel, although it actually reads more like a memoir.


2.  Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill (available March 5)—In the same vein as Meissner's WWII novel is this one about an Italian-American teen who falls in love with a Japanese-American boy.  A romance between them would be scandalous, not to mention illegal.  When the boy is sent to an internment camp, his hope is kept alive by letters from his secret girlfriend, whose not so subtle support of Japanese-Americans could get her into some big trouble.


3.  Lovely War by Julie Berry (available March 5)—I enjoy Julie Berry's books, so I'm excited about her newest which concerns four young people torn apart by World War I.


4.  The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff (available February 5)—Jenoff's World War II novels are excellent.  This based-on-a-true-story novel about a ring of female secret agents who operated during the war sounds thrilling.


5.  Inheritance by Dani Shapiro (available January 15)—As a genealogy buff, I'm intrigued by stories like Shapiro's and the questions they raise.  This memoir is about the shock Shapiro receives when a DNA test she takes on a whim reveals that her father is not her biological parent and her subsequent search for her true identity. 


6.  The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker (available January 15)—This novel, about a troubling sleeping disease that descends on a California college town and the chaos that follows in its wake, sounds riveting.


7.  The Bell Rang by James E. Ransome (available January 15)—I love historical MG novels and this one, about a slave family whose son runs away from the plantation, sounds intriguing.


8.  Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams (available January 15)—As the adoptive mother of a bi-racial child, I'm always interested in books like this one.  It's about a young girl who struggles with her chaotic family life, the fact that her skin's not as light as she would like it to be, and her own journey to find out who she really is. 


9.  The Storm Keeper's Island by Catherine Doyle (January 22)—Another MG novel, this one concerns a magical island and the brewing fight over who will inherit the power to control it.


10.  The Current by Tim Johnston (available January 22)—I'm always up for a good murder mystery/small town secrets novel and this one sounds like just the ticket.  The story revolves around an "accident" that kills a young college student.  The incident bears an uncanny resemblance to another murderous event from the past, which propels a young woman to investigate both—to her own peril.


11.  The Lost Man by Jane Harper (available February 5)—I enjoyed both of the books in Harper's Aaron Falk series.  Her newest is a standalone, which is a little disappointing but still intriguing.  The plot summary on this one doesn't give away much, but it looks like another murder mystery set in the Australian outback.  I'm in!


12.  The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye (available January 8)—This historical thriller centers around a white woman from New York City who is on the run after an illicit deal gone wrong.  When she befriends a Pullman porter, who helps her find refuge at a blacks-only hotel in Portland, Oregon, she finds herself in the middle of a dangerous, racially-charged situation that will leave her smack in the middle of another tangled mess.

There you go, twelve new releases I'm excited to read.  What about you?  Which 2019 books are you looking forward to?  I'd truly love to know.  Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor.

Happy TTT!   

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff at Costco with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.)

Susan Holly is the lucky winner of a copy of Pam Jenoff's newest historical, The Ambassador's Daughter.  I've already heard from her, so her book will be on the way shortly.  Congratulations, Susan (love that name)!

Thanks to everyone who entered.  If you didn't win this time, no worries—I'll have lots more giveaways coming up soon.  Thanks, as always, for reading and supporting BBB.  It means a lot to me :)

Happy reading!

When Margot meets Georg Richwalder, a handsome German naval officer, she can't deny the attraction she feels toward him.  Offering to help him translate important documents for the conference is a way to not only get closer to him, but also to alleviate her boredom and do something valuable for a change.  Working so closely with Captain Richwalder puts her in an awkward position—and not just because she's engaged to another man.  Paris is filled with would-be saboteurs who would do anything to get their hands on the papers to which Margot has access.  Even threaten her father.  

Today, I welcome Pam Jenoff to Bloggin' 'bout Books. She's the author of two historical novels - The Kommandant's Girl and The Diplomat's Wife - as well as a new mystery/thriller, Almost Home. Thanks so much for stopping by, Pam!

Me: I know you've wanted to be a writer since you were a child. What finally took you from wannabe to published author?

PJ: I always wanted to be a writer; I was one of those kids who was forever scribbling down stories and showing them to anyone I could. But my real impetus to get serious came about eight years ago. I became an attorney one week before 9/11 happened and after that tragic event, I had a life epiphany that I didn’t have forever and if I wanted to realize my dream of becoming a novelist I had to get started right away. So I took an evening course at a local college called “Write Your Novel This Year” and started to write.

Me: How does the reality of being a professional writer differ from what you supposed it would be like as a child?

PJ: Being a writer is just as great as I imagined it would be, even better. Maybe a little more work that I thought. The biggest difference is that when I was younger, I imagined myself as a writer of young adult fiction – that is still one of my favorite types of book. Plus, a good adult author is a good author, but a popular kids or young adult author is kind of a deity! But the novels that come from within me are adult novels and that’s great too.

Me: When did you first become interested in WWII? What draws you to that time period?

PJ: I always enjoyed books set during the war, such as those written by Herman Wouk and Leon Uris. My interest in the Second World War really took off when I worked at the Pentagon in the early 1990s and had the opportunity to travel around the world to 50th anniversary commemorations in places like Belgium, Slovakia and the Philippines.

Me: How has your work as a diplomat influenced your writing? What did you learn from that job that has helped you as a writer?

PJ: I transferred from the Pentagon to the State Department and spent over two years in Krakow, Poland, working on issues related to the Holocaust and Polish-Jewish relations. I also became very close to the surviving Jewish community there. These experiences affected me very profoundly and I came back to the States knowing that I wanted to write a novel (or two or three) reflecting those experiences. That is how I came to write THE KOMMANDANT’S GIRL. ALMOST HOME also has some World War II themes but it was inspired more broadly by my experiences as a diplomat and the many wonderful people I met while working in that role.

Me: Are you done with the stories of Emma, Marta and their friends from the Resistance, or will there be more sequels? I have my fingers crossed for more :)

PJ: I get asked a lot about another book in THE KOMMANDANT’S GIRL series. I am very fond of those characters too, so never say never! The biggest dilemma is that I worry a bit about coming forward too far in time and the books no longer being historical. Right now I am contemplating a prequel, which would look at some of the (really fabulous) characters years earlier.

Me: ALMOST HOME is a departure from your first two books. How is it different from them? How is it similar?

PJ: I’ve been asked quite a bit about the change in genre from historical romance to romantic suspense. I’m not a big one for labels; I don’t write for a specific genre, I write about the topics that interest me. But I do think that readers of my first two, more historical books will greatly enjoy ALMOST HOME because it has so many of the same elements: a strong female protagonist, romance, international intrigue and adventure plus a historical back story. It similarly shares a common central theme – a young woman, facing extraordinary circumstances, who learns more about herself and her inner strength than she thought possible. Finally, ALMOST HOME is also a passion project, conceived out of the same travels and experiences that affected me and influenced my other books so profoundly. Despite the differing time period, it really is a very similar type of book.

Me: You play many roles every day - mother, lawyer, teacher, writer - how do you juggle it all?

PJ: Not well! I’m kidding. I’ve always had to juggle writing with a full-time day job. But I’m so lucky, I have a ton of help – my parents are local and watch my son while I work, and my husband is an incredibly hands-on parent, which gives me time to work on weekends and also do the touring and such. But it is still challenging. I often say that I am boring and grumpy, meaning I don’t go out at night and am in bed by ten so I can get up to write at five. I gave up a lot of outside activities like being on boards when I got serious about writing. You have to make choices, and if it isn’t family, work, writing, or sleep, you won’t find me doing much of it.

Me: Do you have time to read with your busy schedule? If yes, what kinds of books do you enjoy? Who are some of your favorite writers?

PJ: I do try and find time read, though less so when I am in the throes of writing a book. I enjoy novels by Tracy Chevalier, Anita Shreve, Barbara Kingsolver, Laura Lippman and Kate Atkinson, to name a few.

Me: Your characters fulfill exciting, dangerous assignments for their governments. What was the craziest/funniest/most death-defying moment in your career working for the Army and State Department?

PJ: I’m glad to say I’ve never had any death-defying moments, but many crazy and unique experiences. I’ve seen vodka smuggling on a train crossing the Polish-Belarusian border and drank beer out of large steins with a roomful of Polish miners hundreds of feet underground. I’ve been shipped out to a spa in the Slovakian countryside because the hotel we were supposed to stay at was filled with the delegations of Lech Walesa and Vaclav Havel. I’ve danced around bonfires and rocked out at concerts like Pearl Jam in Warsaw with wonderful people embracing life and freedom after decades of oppression.

And there were many somber moments in my government career too – visiting the Oklahoma City bomb site days after the explosion, meeting the Pan Am Flight 103 families who were trying to get a memorial at Arlington Cemetery, watching elderly World War II veterans weep at the memorial sites for fallen brethren, walking the steps of Auschwitz and the other camps over and over again. I’m so grateful for all of it.

Me: Lastly, I ask this of every author I interview, because I find the answers fascinating in their variety: How do you write? Do you outline your books or just go with the flow? Do you force yourself to write every day or wait for the muse to visit? Where do you write? Is there anything you HAVE to have in order to write (music, something to drink, etc.)? Do you ever have writer's block? What do you do to get past it?

PJ: I’ve always had a day job and I’m not a night person, so the writing generally happens from 5-7 in the morning, a little bit later on the weekends. I really try to stick to it, but there are always life interruptions. My one year old son, for example, has put the need for some additional flexibility into the routine. The most important thing is to allow the blips in the schedule and then get started again as soon as possible. You can’t let them derail you.

It takes me about a year to write a novel. The process varies depending upon whether I need to give the publisher an outline for synopsis at the beginning or whether I’m just writing for me. But generally I just type non-stop, and then when I have about 150-200 pages, I decide that it is time for structure. So then I go back and organize things, and create a chart to help me keep track of it all.

Laptop or desktop for the actual writing, notebook for brainstorming. And always quiet. I have even been known to ask them (nicely and with a good tip) to turn down the music in the coffee shop if it isn’t crowded.

I’m not sure if I believe in writer’s block. There are certainly times when I am more inspired than others, but I think there is always a way to get going. You can’t let the excuses slow you down.

Me: Thanks so much, Pam!

(Author photo is from Pam Jenoff's official website)

Once upon a time, American Jordan Weiss could hardly stand to leave England. Now, she's forcing herself to return. The closer she gets to Cambridge, the faster her college memories come crashing down on her - of pursuing her graduate degree; rowing on the River Cam; falling in love with prickly Jared Short; and falling apart after his tragic drowning. Jordan, an intelligence officer with the State Department, has spent the last decade taking on every dangerous assignment available in an effort to outrun her pain. Now, her mission - taking care of a terminally ill friend - will take her right back to the scene of her heartache.

Almost Home, Pam Jenoff's new book, follows Jordan as she settles in London, near her ailing friend. While Sarah withers away from ALS, Jordan accepts an assignment to flush out an Albanian crime ring. It's not her usual thing and partnering with the roguish Sebastian makes her more than a little uncomfortable. Still, the job keeps her mind off her troubles. Then, her past comes strolling down the steet in the form of Chris Bannister, her former rowing teammate. Convinced that Jared's death was intentional, Chris begs for Jordan's help to look into the "accident." Doing so means going back to Cambridge - the one place she vowed never to go - and facing the pain that almost destroyed her. Is it worth it to finally get some closure? Or will stepping into the past overwhelm Jordan's already fragile sanity?

The further Jordan wades into these mysteries, the more dangerous her new life becomes. Could an old friend be tied up with the Albanians? Who was Jared Short, really? Did the powerful swimmer really drown or did his research into World War II uncover something shocking enough to get him killed? What is the truth? Will digging for it earn Jordan the same fate as her college boyfriend?

I didn't enjoy Almost Home nearly as much as I did Jenoff's historical novels, but I still found the novel engrossing. I admit it took me awhile to warm up to the story - I didn't love Jordan's character and the story action builds rather slowly. Although the ending's pretty predictable, it still had my flying through pages anxious to see what happened next. Jenoff uses the same tense, heart-pounding action that drew me to The Kommandant's Girl and The Diplomat's Wife, but I found the historical settings so much more intriguing than that of modern London. While Jenoff's own experiences as a diplomat imbue all her books with adventure and authenticity, it's her great love for WWII that makes them unique. Almost Home is okay - certainly not the best thriller I've ever read, but far, far from the worst - but it lacks the impact of her first two books. Historical fiction is where Pam Jenoff truly shines. Let's hope she's headed back to familiar territory. And soon.

(Readalikes: The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff)

Grade: C

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG for some language, violence and sexual content

To the FTC, with love: I received this book from the author. Thanks, Pam!

(Note: While this review will not contain spoilers for The Diplomat's Wife by Pam Jenoff, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its prequel, The Kommandant's Girl. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)
Apparently, I read too many books.
The other day, I was complaining to my husband about my failing memory. My 11-year-old son and I had just come back from a date to the movies to see The Lightning Thief. Unlike my son, I haven't read the whole series yet. I have read the first book, however, so you'd think that when my son exclaimed, "Hey! That wasn't in the book," I would have been able to respond with something more intelligible than, "Really? I mean, I know, right? Where did that come from?" My husband responded to my rambles with a look that had incredulous written all over it. Then he said something along the lines of, "You read like a million books a year. How are you supposed to remember them all?" The man has a point.
Our little discussion made me feel a whole lot better when I opened Pam Jenoff's The Diplomat's Wife and became immediately confused: Who is the main character, Marta Nederman? If you've read Jenoff's first book, The Kommandant's Girl, you may recognize the name, as she was one of its supporting cast members. However, it's been a while since I read the book (um, yeah, like 3 years - you can read my review here), and I couldn't for the life of me remember Marta. Knowing The Diplomat's Wife was a sequel, I was expecting a continuation of Emma's story, which began in The Kommandant's Girl. Naturally, I had to figure out who Marta was before I turned any more pages, so I read back over my review of the first book, skimmed its last chapter and voila! I had my answer (Hint: She's Emma's friend from the Krakow ghetto. She also had a little something to do with the Kommandant's demise.) Having finally gotten my bearings in the story, I was able to relax and enjoy it. Immensely.
When The Diplomat's Wife opens, Marta lies crumpled on the floor of a Nazi prison. Whether her conditions are any better than those of her comrades in the death camps she knows not, but they're plenty bad enough - she's trapped in a cold, rat-infested cell where she's slowly starving to death. The gunshot wound in her side makes movement agonizing, pain that intensifies with regular beatings from the cruel guards. Do what they may, the Nazis will never beat information out of her. She'd rather die than rat out her friends in the Resistance.
Marta assumes she's delirious when a handsome American soldier rescues her from her filthy cell, but when she wakes up in a clean, quiet hospital she realizes that it's true - the camps have been liberated. She's free. Now what? Thanks to the Nazis, she has no friends, no family, no life left for her in Poland. A chance opportunity gets her to England, where she's soon living with a wealthy family and working for Simon Gold, an important diplomat with the British government. When Marta discovers she is pregnant, and that her fiancee has been killed, she marries the bland Simon. Although not passionate, their union is safe and comfortable enough.
Then, comes the assignment that changes everything. It's a dangerous mission, one for which Marta is uniquely qualified. It's supposed to be a simple get-in-get-out operation, but things get very complicated very fast. Suddenly, Marta's thrust back into a world she thought she'd left behind forever. Once again, she's running for her life through cities devastated by war, countries where peace is as tenuous as a cloud, areas where she's hunted by assasins and haunted by memories so heartbreaking they threaten to destroy any shred of sanity she has left. She's desperate to complete her mission, help her homeland and go home to her daughter, but Marta's past and present are on a dangerous collision course, one that will have her questioning everything she's ever known.
At its heart, The Diplomat's Wife is a love story. It's also a gripping tale about the cruelties of war, the audacity of hope, and the dangerous business of rebuilding nations toppled by violence. With romance, suspense, heart-pounding action and vivid historical detail, it's a book that offers something for every kind of reader. It starts slowly, but builds to the kind of nail-biting conclusion that will keep you turning pages well past bedtime. An intense, engrossing novel, it's even richer when coupled with Emma's experieces in The Kommandant's Girl. I highly recommend both books not only for their engrossing plotlines, but also for the honesty, tenderness and knowledge with which Pam Jenoff writes. This is the best kind of historical fiction - exciting, romantic, suspenseful and satisfying. You won't want to miss it.
(Readalikes: The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff; also reminds me of the movie Shining Through)
Grade: A-
If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for some language; sexual scenes (although brief and not graphic); and violence
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
(Book image is from Barnes & Noble)
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Check back on March 12 when I review Jenoff's new book, Almost Home, and interview the author.

So, once again, I'm playing catch up with my online reading journal. I love the idea of keeping track of what I read, but sometimes it's difficult to stay updated! Oh well, here goes...

I finished The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff a couple of weeks ago. It's the story of Emma Bau, a 19-year-old newlywed whose world is destroyed when the Nazis storm into her native Poland. As her fellow Jews disappear around her, Emma's own husband goes into hiding with other Resistance workers. Left on her own, Emma resigns herself to life inside the filthy Jewish Ghetto. One night, however, she is whisked away to Krakow by the Resistance and given a new identity as Anna Lipowski, an unmarried non-Jew. Emma/Anna thinks herself safe living with a relative under an assumed name, but soon her situation becomes more dangerous than ever. It begins with an innocent dinner party, where Anna is introduced to Kommandant Georg Richwalder, second in command of the city's new Nazi government. Anna is distressed to find that the Kommandant seems to be smitten with her. In fact, he insists that she come to work as his personal assistant. Desperate to keep her identity hidden, Anna accepts the job and all the dangers that come with it. While the Resistance urges her to use her position to gather secret information, Anna must confront her own growing feelings for the Kommandant. When he presses her to become intimate, she must make the ultimate choice, between fidelity to her absent spouse and loyalty to her people, a choice made much more complicated by her confused feelings for her employer.

This book is mesmerizing for so many reasons, but it really all comes down to the choice Anna must make between keeping her marriage vows and using the Kommandant for the information he can provide. It may seem a clear choice, if it wasn't for her traitorious feelings for the Kommandant. The reader can't help but place herself in Anna's shoes and wonder, what would I do? Thankfully, the choice is moot for us, but for Anna it is all too real. Her decision changes her, her young marriage and, indeed, her life.

The Kommandant's Girl is an excellent, fascinating read. If it wasn't for the ambiguous ending, I would give it 5 glowing stars. Still, it's worth picking up for its spare, but rich language and a tightly-woven story that is simply too exciting to put down.

My second pick could not have been more different from my first. Not only does Accountable Kids: Raising Accountable Kids One Step at a Time by Scott W. and Traci S. Heaton not employ rich language, but it's not all that exciting. Yet, I found the ideas and information in the book quite compelling.

The Heatons book is actually an instruction manual explaining the nuts and bolts of their program which teaches kids how to be responsible for handling chores and money. Basically, each child has a board with pegs on it where they hang cards that represent their jobs (from cleaning their rooms to completing homework to brushing their teeth). When they finish a task, they place the job's card on a new peg, representing its completion. Each night, the child receives a sticker if he/she has done all of his/her jobs for the day. The stickers can then be "cashed in" for a date with mom or dad. Kids can also earn Privilege Passes, which are redeemed for time on the computer or tv or any other "privilege," as well as Bonus Bucks, which translate into real money.

Implementing the program will require some work on my part, but I'm excited to see how it works with my kids. It's definitely user-friendly and it promises to deliver important results. The book itself is basic and not really well written, but I think the program itself is genius. If you want more information, check out http://www.accountablekids.com/ .

I also just finished Maeve Binchy's newest, Whitethorn Woods. It's a collection of intertwining stories from a wide cast of characters, all with connections to the small town of Rossmore and its infamous woods. People make their way into the woods for one basic reason - to petition St. Anne at her shrine in the trees. Now, the shrine is being threatened by the proposed construction of a new byway, and the residents of Rossmore all have something to say about it. Here, Binchy does what she does best - delves into the lives of ordinary citizens, making them sparkle with personality and charm. On the way, she unearths Rossmore's secrets, praises its quiet heroes and gives comeuppance to those who deserve it. All of this is set against the juxtaposition of old and new which comes to light because of a crumbling shrine and the new road which threatens its survival.

Maeve Binchy has a gift for bringing characters to life and this book is a shining example of her skill. Still, it is sometimes hard to keep track of just whose life is intertwining with whose. Also, because of the many different viewpoints, the book is somewhat disjointed. I liked it, however, and would recommend it to Binchy fans. For those who have never read Binchy, I recommend starting with one of her better books, like Circle of Friends or Light a Penny Candle.