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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Oct 9, 2020  
Sneak a peek at the culinary cozy mystery novel SAVING IRENE by Judy Alter Author on my blog, and enter the GIVEAWAY to win your own signed copy of the book! (There will be three winners.)

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/10/book-blitz-and-giveaway-saving-irene.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Irene Foxglove wishes she were a French chef. Henrietta James, her assistant, knows she is nothing more than a small-time TV chef on a local Chicago channel. And yet when Irene is threatened, Henny tries desperately to save her, wishing always that “Madame” would tell her the truth—about her marriage, her spoiled daughter, her days in France, the man who threatens her. Henny’s best friend, the gay guy who lives next door, teases her, encourages her—and maybe loves her from afar. Murder, kidnapping, and some French gossip complicate this mystery, set in Chicago and redolent with the aroma of fine food. Recipes included.
     
What Child is This
What Child is This
Rhys Bowen | 2018 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Simple, Heart Warming Short Story
The story opens on Christmas Eve in London in 1940. It's the middle of the blitz, and rationing is in full effect, so it is looking like a very dismal Christmas for Maggie and Jack Harris. But then what little they do have is taken from them suddenly, and they find themselves on the streets. Jack goes looking for shelter and finds what looks like an abandoned house. Is it abandoned? What will Christmas day bring?

While I rarely read short stories, I had to grab this story from Rhys Bowen. Best known for her historical mysteries, this is more of a glimpse at tragedy and triumph during 24 hours. As such, it doesn't have the twists or shocks you might expect, but it is a very heartwarming tale. Jack and Maggie really shine, although I did find Maggie annoying at times. Believable, but annoying. A quick read (I read it in about an hour), this is a good way to hold on to the Christmas spirit just a little bit longer.
  
40x40

Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Apr 16, 2021  
Sneak a peak at THE TAKEAWAY MEN, a historical fiction novel, by Meryl Ain on my blog! I must say that this book looks very interesting!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/04/book-blitz-takeaway-men-by-meryl-ain.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
With the cloud of the Holocaust still looming over them, twin sisters Bronka and Johanna Lubinski and their parents arrive in the US from a Displaced Persons Camp. In the years after World War II, they experience the difficulties of adjusting to American culture as well as the burgeoning fear of the Cold War.

Years later, the discovery of a former Nazi hiding in their community brings the Holocaust out of the shadows. As the girls get older, they start to wonder about their parents’ pasts, and they begin to demand answers. But it soon becomes clear that those memories will be more difficult and painful to uncover than they could have anticipated.

Poignant and haunting, The Takeaway Men explores the impact of immigration, identity, prejudice, secrets, and lies on parents and children in mid-twentieth-century America.