After more than two decades under the totalitarian rule of President Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania is coming apart at the seams. In financial ruin, the country is beset by shortages of food, medicine, water, and other necessities, making daily life for the average citizen exceptionally bleak. To make matters worse, Ceausescu's spies are always watching. They turn desperate people into informers, turning neighbor against neighbor, causing widespread fear and paranoia. With the government controlling Romania's media and news outlets, the truth of its plight is kept hidden.

Cristian Florescu, a 17-year-old student, just wants to live a normal life. He longs to spend his days peacefully penning poetry and wooing his pretty neighbor. Instead, he worries about his frail grandfather, who's growing increasingly ill without access to the cancer treatments he needs. When the secret police nab Cristian for a minor infraction, they force him to become their spy. In return, he will not be imprisoned and his beloved grandpa will receive care. Cristian has little choice but to comply. Or does he? Can he use his unique position to fight for the freedom of his people? Is it worth it if it costs him everything—and everyone—he loves?

As much as I love descriptive words, I'm just not feeling the TTT topic du jour—Top Ten Books With An Adjective in the Title. Instead, I'm going to swerve way off today's path and talk about something totally different. In sorting through all the many books on my shelves, trying to decide which to keep and which to donate in anticipation of my upcoming move, I've realized that I have quite a lot of books on one particular subject. Because of the state of the world in recent years, I've actually kind of avoided reading about it, so now I have quite the stockpile of books to read about...drumroll, please...World War II! Surprised? I doubt it. BBB regulars know I'm fascinated by this historical period. So, today, I'm going to list ten-ish (although I probably could have done 30) books about World War II that I want to read sometime soon.

If you're feeling list-y today, join in the TTT fun. Click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl for all the details.

Top Ten World War II Books I Want to Read  

1. The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer—Although Elzbieta Rabinek is careful to keep her true identity hidden, she's still wary of the German soldiers who have taken over her hometown. As their vengeance against her Jewish neighbors heightens, she watches with increasing fear and anger. When she befriends a nurse living in her building, Elzbieta's careful existence quickly turns into one ripe with danger and risk. Is saving the lives of Jewish children worth losing her own?

Rimmer's The Things We Cannot Say, which is set in the same year (1942) as The Warsaw Orphan but takes place in Russia, is also one I want to read.

2. Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck—This novel tells the tale of two women from different circumstances, both of whom have risked everything to work against the Nazi regime, whose stories converge in the Ravensbrück concentration camp.

Robuck's The Invisible Woman also sounds intriguing.

3. The Winter Guest by Pam Jenoff—Helena and Ruth are sisters in war-torn Poland. As they struggle to care for their three younger sisters, they make a decision that puts all of their lives in danger. While helping a wounded American paratrooper is the right thing to do, it has dangerous unforeseen consequences for all of them.

I've read and loved a couple of Jenoff's World War II novels, but there are still a bunch on her backlist that I want to read.

4. Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees—Now that World War II has finally ended, Britain has created the Control Commission for Germany. The organization hires British civilians to help rebuild the country and investigate war crimes. Bored with her provincial life, Edith Graham applies for a job with the commission, but soon finds herself acting as a spy for the Secret Service. While she's found the excitement she's been missing, it may just cost her her life.

5. The Bookseller's Secret by Michelle Gable—Based on the wartime experiences of real-life literary icon Nancy Mitford, this novel concerns a woman adrift who eagerly takes on the challenge of running a London bookstore while its owner is away. 

6. 81 Days Below Zero: The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness by Brian Murphy—I always enjoy survival stories and this one sounds especially intriguing. It tells the true story of a routine flight gone horribly wrong. When their plane crashes, four Army aviators are killed, while one—a man from Philadelphia with no wilderness experience—is left alone in the freezing Yukon to wait for rescue. Or death.

7. The Night Train to Berlin by Melanie Hudson—As war rages all around them, Alex and Eliza meet by chance. The RAF pilot turned war correspondent and the war artist make a solemn vow to meet in Berlin once peace has finally been declared. Will their newly found love triumph in a time when nothing at all is certain?

Hudson's The Last Letter From Juliet, about a female World War II pilot, is also on my TBR list.

8. Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave—Although I'm not a fan of love triangles, this epic wartime romance sounds compelling. It features three people whose lives converge in an extraordinary time. As the war rages on, they'll experience friendship, love, devastation, sorrow, and triumph. 

9. The London House by Katherine Reay—Caroline Payne is shocked when a historian friend uncovers a scandalous secret about her British great-aunt. Can the woman really have betrayed her family and her country by running to Germany to marry her Nazi lover? Caroline can't believe it. Desperate to clear her great-aunt's name, Caroline travels to her family's ancestral home in London to learn the truth.

10. The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation by Rosemary Sullivan—Everyone knows the tragic story of Anne Frank and her family, but one question about their fate has never been answered: Who betrayed their whereabouts to the Nazis? Retired FBI agent Vincent Pankoke became obsessed with finding the answer. With the use of new technology, Pankoke and his team of cold case investigators pored over numerous documents and conducted scores of interviews, all of which led them to a shocking conclusion.

I eat up World War II books, but I know not everyone loves them for various and sundry reasons. What's your take? Do you love them? Loathe them? Which are your favorites? Have you read any of the ones I mentioned? What did you think? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.

To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Cheddar Off Dead from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

I'm a little late to the TTT party today, but never fear—I have a good, bookish reason for my tardiness. I mentioned that I'm going to be downsizing from my 5,000-square foot home into one that is half the size in the next few months (after our renters move out and we do some remodeling). Since I will no longer have the room to store all my many, many books, I need to get rid of about 75% of my collection. I was planning to organize a book sale with the proceeds going to charity since the majority of the volumes I need to unload are ones I got for free from authors and publishers. Then, I received an email announcing that a local high school would be holding a book sale this week to benefit their English Department. Huzzah! I contacted the ladies in charge, who generously came to my house and hauled away this mountain of books for their sale:

Although this represents only about 1/3 of the books I need to unload, it feels good to send even this many on their way to new homes. They will definitely get more love out in the world than they will gathering dust in my guest room closet. Bonus: guests can now open the closet door without risking death by book avalanche! Win-win.

Now that that's out of the way we can get down to business. The TTT topic du jour is: Top Ten Books on My Spring TBR List. I love these seasonal TBR lists because it's always fun to see what everyone is looking forward to reading and to get ideas of what I might want to check out. Since I'm a mood reader, I never really stick to these, but I still enjoy thinking about what I might read. I'm also going to *try* to feature books I haven't talked about yet. We'll see how that goes...

As always, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give our hostess, Jana, some love. While you're there, why don't you join in the fun? TTT really is a good ole time.

1. Ancestor Trouble: A Reckoning and a Reconciliation by Maud Newton (available March 29, 2022)—You all know by now that I'm a genealogy buff who lives for combing through census records, DNA matches, and old newspapers in search of forgotten family stories. It shouldn't surprise you, then, that I love books like this one, which is about the author's search for the truth behind her ancestors' colorful, controversial lives. Sounds like a great read!

2. Séances are for Suckers by Tamara Berry—Speaking of dead people...I'm all in for this cozy mystery series featuring a woman who pretends to hunt ghosts in order to pay the bills. I enjoyed Buried in a Good Book (available May 24, 2022), Berry's newest, so much that I want to read more from her. 

3. The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan—As I was clearing off my bookshelves for the upcoming sale, I found my copy of this National Book Award winner that I've been meaning to read for years. Ever since I read The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, I've been eager to read more about the Dust Bowl and the brave souls who lived through it. This promises to be a fascinating read.

4. Morning Sun in Wuhan by Ying Chang Compestine (available November 8, 2022)—This MG novel doesn't come out until Fall, but I'm hoping to get an early copy from NetGalley. Written by a woman who grew up in Wuhan, the story is about a 13-year-old girl whose life changes when COVID breaks out in her hometown. 

5. The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune—How have I not read this book yet? I've had a copy ever since it came out. I think it's about time I actually read it!

6. Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal—Covered in birthmarks, young Nell is sold to the circus where she becomes a headlining act. As she deals with the narcissistic circus owner, falls in love with his kind brother, and learns to stand on her own two feet, she transforms from a shy, unloved child into a woman who knows her own worth and power.

7. A Lullaby For Witches by Hester Fox—I enjoy Fox's spooky books and this one, her newest, sounds like a compelling read. It's about a woman who starts working at the old Harlowe House and becomes obsessed with knowing more about the "witch" who once lived there.

8. Research Like a Pro With DNA by Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer—Diana and Nicole have been friends and mentors as I continue my journey down the road to becoming an accredited genealogist (COVID has turned it into a much longer process than expected). I'm eager to dip into their newest book since I have lots to learn about DNA and how to use it effectively in my family history research.

9. The Secret, Book, & Scone Society by Ellery Adams—I'm listening to this book, the first installment in a well-loved cozy mystery series set in a town full of healing magic. It's entertaining.

10. The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes—Remember last TTT when I talked about one of my favorite tropes, the surprise inheritance? This one fits that bill. It concerns a woman who learns that she has inherited her father's chocolate estate in Ecuador. Through a series of unfortunate events, she is forced to don men's clothing and impersonate her dead husband while trying to solve a mystery, get to the bottom of family secrets, and navigate a new romance. 

There you have it, ten books I'm hoping to get to this Spring. Have you read any of them? What did you think? What's on your TBR list this season? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.