This year in the first part of the Summer Book Fair, I will be revisiting some of the new books on the shelves promotions for the last six months. It offers not just an opportunity to boost the book but also to share a follow up review. Later on in the series I will also be sharing my recommended books from the last 12 months and one of their more current reviews. Not all the books are newly published but they are new to the Smorgasbord Bookshelf.
Delighted to share the news of the latest book by Paulette Mahurin set in WW2 and The Netherlands – The Girl From Huizen
About the book
The German occupation of the Netherlands brings with it food shortages, harsh treatment for resistants and deportation of Jews. The changes dramatically affect Rosamond Jansen’s life on her family’s farm on the outskirts of Huizen. When she finds herself under constant surveillance and oppressive treatment in her government typist job and the Nazis deport her best friend, her resentment turns to fear and a deepening hatred. Verbal cruelty, belittlement and emotional turmoil take their toll on her until a man arrives at the farm who, along with her uncle from Amsterdam, enlist her father into resistance work. When her father does not return home, Rosamond, too, is drawn into resistance activity. As more people disappear from her life, her involvement goes deeper, bringing her to a villa in Huizen where a woman named Madelief has a secret. As Rosamond becomes close to Madelief and the secret is revealed, her life starts to unravel.
Based on actual events at the villa, The Girl from Huizen tells the story of how Rosamond, working with Madelief, dared to defy the SS and their collaborators. But this is no ordinary Resistance versus Nazi story, rather it is a story of a shocking and unexpected unfolding where flames of tension ignite the page, as loss and grief consume and drive the girl from Huizen. It is a powerful story about the trusting friendship between two women. Ultimately The Girl from Huizen is a homage to the brave resistance members who risked everything to fight against Nazi oppression. Their efforts saved thousands upon thousands of lives.
One of the recent reviews for the book on Goodreads
The Girl from Huizen by Paulette Mahurin is breathtaking, heartbreaking and beautiful in its raw prose. It is obvious the author did meticulous research in the rich historical details and character portrayals, almost as she were there herself. Though it is fiction, it is based on real events and people. The book is about the Dutch Resistance in WWII and unbearable grief and hardships under Nazi occupation.
The Jansen family from the working village of Huizen, Netherlands, is directly affected by the horrors of war. At first 18-year-old Roz and her mother are horrified that her father joins Karl and other Resistance members to smuggle deported children. But they realize trying to stop them would be futile. Death, bartering, scarcity of food and anguish are constants. People disappear. The country is in turmoil. But the Resistance saves lives and brings hope.
Historical Fiction readers, do prioritize this one. It’s simply and passionately written and doesn’t gloss over difficult details. But that’s what makes it so powerful. I am so glad to have read it.
Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK
A selection of books by Paulette Mahurin
Profits from Pauline’s books go to help rescue dogs from kill shelters.
Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And : Amazon UK – follow Paulette : Goodreads – Blog: The Persecution of Mildred Dunlap on WordPress – Twitter: @MahurinPaulette
The next book released earlier in the year is by Carol Balawyder – a crime thriller The Lilac Notebook.
About the book
Three university friends. One in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, another out for revenge and a third murdered.
Holly Baranov is in the beginning stages of fast advancing Alzheimer’s at 40. Unwilling to care for her, Holly’s husband leaves her. While frightened to be on her own, Holly is relieved to be freed from the clutches of a controlling husband.
She moves out of her large home in the middle-class west end section of Montreal and into a small apartment near McGill University where she enrols in a poetry course in the hopes of stimulating her brain.
There she meets Kim Harris, a thirty-something beautiful but damaged law student and Amelia Rose, a twenty-year-old pole dancer in a seedy nightclub who wants nothing more than to graduate, teach high school, marry and raise a family. Both Kim and Amelia were victims of incest, though each see her perpetrator differently. Kim chose law so as to right the justice she was denied while Amelia is angry at the justice system for separating her from a flawed father who was nonetheless her whole world.
When Amelia is found strangled in her apartment, Holly becomes involved in the investigation, both as prime suspect and as a means to defend herself.
Detective Alice Vireovich and her rookie partner, Detective Dan Cardoni, currently investigating the murders of two middle aged men, are also tasked with investigating Amelia’s murder: They come to believe all three murders may be linked because of a Van Gogh Starry Night postcard found at the scene of all three crimes.
Holly’s health worsens quickly. She is transferred to a support facility. Along with her fading memory, Holly is also losing her ability to speak and write. She is uncertain whether she killed Amelia as her friend Kim, ex-husband Roy and the police suspect.
A niece (whom Holly doesn’t recognize and whose motives she distrusts for suddenly wanting to help her) visits Holly regularly and reads Holly’s notes about Amelia’s investigation. This eventually leads the investigation away from her as they seem to implicate Kim.
Kim’s law teacher at McGill agrees to take on the case pro bono, motivated by her interest in litigating whether damaging effects of childhood abuse pose the question whether murder can ever be justified in such cases.
The expanding investigation leads to more findings relating to the postcard found next to Amelia’s body, bringing into view a surprising new suspect.
One of the reviews for the book
Carol Balawyder’s The Lilac Notebook (2023) is about the difficult choices life thrusts at three women, all ultimately coalescing in one woman’s descent into the murky incurable world that is life lived with Alzheimer’s. Two of the women–Kim and Amelia–were abused as children, but arrive at adulthood with different perspectives on their experience. The third–Holly–has a normal childhood and ends up the Stepford wife of a man who ultimately divorces her when she develops early onset Alzheimer’s. Though the overarching story is the murder of Amelia, the real story is Holly’s efforts to solve her friends murder despite her declining mental state. We see how her illness starts with simple problems everyone has faced–finding the right word and mixing up events–progresses to losing her ability to speak coherently, and finally as she is locked in a young body and unable to communicate.
The book is compelling albeit heart-breaking, many times difficult to read but as often, through Holly’s acceptance of her condition, a realistic look at life lived with this horrific disease. This is highly recommended for anyone who wishes to better understand a friend or loved one suffering from this disease.
I wish I had a bigger megaphone because this book deserves it.
Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK
Other books by Carol Balawyder
Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Read more reviews : Goodreads – Website – Carol Balawyder – LinkedIn: Carol Balawyder – Facebook: Carol Balawyder
Delighted to welcome a new author to the shelves here on Smorgasbord…Donna O’Donnell Figurski with her poignant memoir – Prisoners without Bars: A Caregivers Tale
About the book
“Laugh! Cry! G-A-S-P!”
This heart-wrenching and triumphant love story is a tale of advocacy and caregiving. Donna’s husband, David, stumbled into their bedroom, his hand covering a blood-filled eye from a brain hemorrhage.
Donna called 9-1-1. David slipped into a coma. At that moment, Donna was thrust onto the path of caregiver for her best friend and the love of her life.
In her debut memoir, Donna shares how a neurosurgeon said that David would make a “great organ donor.” She writes of arrogant doctors, uncaring visitors, insensitive ambulance drivers, and problematic nurses. She also tells of the many compassionate doctors, nurses, therapists, staff, strangers, family members, and friends who helped them on their journey.
Donna compellingly describes her ability to appear positive as she experiences the horror of making life-or-death decisions. As her world crashes, she credits laughter as her lifesaver. More than thirteen years later, Donna and David are living a “new normal” together.
One of the many reviews for the book
The moving account of a wife’s courage, love, and devotion for her husband in the wake of his Traumatic Brain Injury. I’m sure we all would hope we could selflessly be there for our loved ones should a similar fate befall them. Thankfully, we have this remarkable story as a “How-To” guide, heaven forbid we find ourselves in a similarly scary place. This saga of doctors, nurses, hospitals, rehab facilities, and the long, difficult road back for Donna and David kept me turning the pages. It’s not all dark and heavy, though; there are light moments, fun side trips and interesting characters to meet along the way. I agree with other reviewers: this important book deserves a wide audience.
Head over to read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK
Connect with Donna: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – Read more reviews and follow Donna: Goodreads – Bookbub: Donna O’Donnell Figurski – Website: Donna Figurski – Brain Injury Blog: Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury – Twitter: @DonnaFigurski
Thank you for dropping in today and I hope that you will be leaving with some books.. Sally.
Smorgasbord Blog Magazine 