Archive | February 2026

The League Of Lonely War Women by Andie Newton

Feb19

Loyalty, Bravery, Camaraderie

The League Of Lonely War Women by Andie Newton is a powerful historical tale that gripped me from the start. It is a fictional tale that is grounded in facts.

The story has four brave young women at its’ heart. They are American analysts working in Britain during World War II. They are transferred to Rome working for the OSS, which sees them parachuting into the heart of Nazi Germany in order to undertake a dangerous mission. Two of the women are tasked with something even more secret and dangerous, which they cannot tell the other two about. They hope to disrupt the Nazi war effort by lowering morale of the soldiers.

Andie Newton has created admirable characters. We see that trust and bonds formed in war will never break, even if separated for a time. Cunning and stealth is needed especially when they need to flee Nazi Germany.

The book is set in 1944 when it was clear that the Nazis were losing the war. Soldiers are dissatisfied. “He was swimming in unequal parts pain, hopelessness, and hurt.” We also see that boys are being recruited as soldiers. “He looked young, but his eyes had a tormented glaze to them from the war… I hoped he wasn’t one of the boys recruited directly from the Hitler Youth.”

This is a tale of two halves – war and peace – We rejoin the story ten years later as the two women who were on a special mission, now have the chance to complete it. But America is more concerned with the red in the bed than Nazi war criminals. The CIA did not reckon on the drive of the four women to complete unfinished business.

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The Elephant’s Tale by Lauren St John

Feb15

Educating, Enthralling & Entertaining

The Elephant’s Tale by Lauren St John is an entertaining children’s novel, just perfect for the over tens. It is the fifth book in the White Giraffe series but can be read as a stand-alone. I recommend reading the books in numerical order as each one starts where the previous one ended.

Each book focuses on a different animal. As the title suggests, it is the turn of the elephants. We are educated about the characteristics of elephants. They are loyal and caring. Being in any sort of captivity is detrimental to their health.

The reader learns about the damage that global warming is doing. We should all be looking after our planet and animals.

Eleven-year-olds Martine and Ben have grown in stature since the series began. A year has passed at the animal sanctuary, Sawubona. Physically both main characters have filled out, and mentally they are wise beyond their years.

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The Best Summer Of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck

Feb11

Coming Home

The Best Summer Of Our Lives by Rachel Hauck is the most beautiful Christian dual timeline novel that I savoured and never wanted to end.

This is a book about friendship. It is a coming-of-age novel. It is about love, which is the glue that binds people together. We see four eighteen-year-olds as they are determined to have the best summer of their lives. After a prank gone wrong, they find themselves as councillors in a summer camp for eleven-year-old girls. “What if the best summer of our lives isn’t about parties or shopping… but giving these girls a summer they’ll never forget.” It is a summer that will be pivotal. Lives will be shattered and new paths forged but the summer of 1977 will be in the minds of them all. “8 weeks, 8 Saturdays, and the summer of ’77 still defined her.” Everything hung on that summer. For the friends, and the reader, there is a gap of twenty years before the tale resumes in 1997.

The novel is written in the two alternating time periods and in four different voices. The teens are all easy to empathise with, easy to picture, and they all lodged in my heart.

Rachel Hauck includes a real-life murder event that rocks the girl’s world as the camp goes on lockdown for the summer in order to protect the innocent. They must all look out for each other. The reader can ‘feel’ the fear and apprehension.

All four teens are carrying secrets that are burdening them down. They need to open their hearts to each other, no matter what the consequences.

We all need God, whether we recognise it or not. There are some beautiful scenes with The Preacher. We see that He calls us each by name – will we answer His call? “ ‘You feel like you’ve been in a desert.’ She turned at the sound of His voice. The Preacher walked towards her… Part of your journey is to draw you to Me.” Jesus waits patiently for us to answer His call.

There is a beautiful moment when a character asks why there are so many empty chairs in the large tent. “Hundreds of empty chairs, waiting for the hurting, the sick and the lost, the broken to come.” God calls us to come just as we are.

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Five On A Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

Feb11

Good Old-Fashioned Fun

Five On A Treasure Island by Enid Blyton is an entertaining children’s novel and just perfect for the over tens. It is the first book in The Famous Five series.

Written in 1942 the story is exciting and appealing as when it was first penned. For adults re-visiting their childhood memories, it is a pure delight to escape into the world of the famous five again.

The three siblings, Julian, Dick and Anne meet their tomboy cousin George for the first time. She lives by the sea and has her very own island. It is on Kirrin Island that the children really bond as they search for hidden gold. George discovers that life is better together, and that sharing what you have is better than keeping things to yourself.

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