It is Friday, so it is time for two more great backlist books.
We have one fiction book and one nonfiction book for you this week.
The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan. The Kitchen Front was published in 2021. It is a historical fiction book set during WWII.
The Kitchen Front is about four women living in England during the war. The war has impacted all of them in different ways. They start as competitors in a cooking contest, but their lives soon become entwined in a much bigger way.
The Kitchen Front is a book about war, family, friends, death, hardship, and more.
I liked that this book was a war book but not about war. It is about life at home in England during the war.
It gives a picture of the life of the women and children left behind while the men fought and died in the war. But it does it in a way that is not heavy or hard to read.
If you love WWII historical fiction but want something different, I think you will enjoy The Kitchen Front.
The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. I picked this week’s nonfiction backlist book because it is also set in England during WWII.
The Splendid and the Vile follows Winston Churchill’s first year as Prime Minister, which was a challenging year due to WWII.
In his first two weeks in office, Adolf Hitler invaded Holland and Belgium, and the Dunkirk evacuation happened.
I liked that The Splendid and the Vile gave you a look into Winston Churchill’s political and personal life. It showed his leadership but also the reality of his family life. It portrayed him as a leader, but not a perfect one.
This book took me a little bit to get into, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. Erik Laron is one of my favorite nonfiction writers because he does a great job of making history come alive.
If you like nonfiction history type reads I think you will enjoy this one.
We love backlist books because we enjoy bringing some attention to some books you may not know about or have forgotten about. Do you have a backlist book that you have enjoyed?
I look forward to reading the kitchen front, as I’m always amazed to learn something new about that time.
Also I read the splendid & the vile a few years ago. Eric Larsen is one of my favorite nonfictions writers.
Read as was working my way through Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxsis, an amazing biography that should. R read by all.
Thank you so much!
I read Bonhoeffer by Metaxsis quite a few years ago and really enjoyed it. You are right, it is a great biography.
Love loved the kitchen, front book and the way the author will their lives together. It was very interesting hearing all the details of how they use their rations and also at the end she went on to explain all about that that era as well and gave historical documentation anyway, it was great. I’m sorry to be finished it already.
Reminded me of my top fav historical fiction writer, Jennifer Chiaverini. I may reread Christmas bells. it takes place in modern times, but also goes back into the time of Longfellow and tells his wonderful story and how he wrote that beautiful Christmas bells song. She excels at historical fiction and is also very wholesome and upbeat.
What is your favorite Jennifer Chiaverini book? I have read a couple of her books, but want to read more of the.
Switchboard Soldiers, ww1, based on Grace Banker and real history. I love the way she builds each character and then weaves their stories together.
Resistance women, ww2, so great. Mrs Lincoln’s sisters.
And a few of the quilting series. Hope this helpful.
Thank you!! I really enjoyed Switchboard Soldiers, but I have not read Canary Girls or Resistance Women. I read the first few in the quilting series years ago and need to go back and read more of them. From what I remember they were good. Thank you for the suggestions!
Forgot WW1 Canary Girls!