Book Review 2023 Edition

Given my busy schedule, two books down for 2023 is good.  I love reading, and my goal for this year was to read more and watch less TV in the evening.  The first book was recommended to me by a friend's mom, who comes from Germany.  40 Autumns is a true story that spans the period from right after the war to the present day.  Nina, the writer, is a character in the story and also the storyteller on behalf of her mother and other relatives.  While I knew a lot about this period, there was also so much I didn't know.  We have all heard stories about life behind the curtain in movies like Bridge of Spies, Night Crossing, and the lesser-known movie Lives of Others, but 40 Autumns really gives us a comprehensive look at what it was really like to live in the GDR, otherwise known as East Germany.  I also found this book fascinating because my mother-in-law escaped East Germany as a child while most of her relatives remained behind.  

The second book I read this year was What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon.  This book is a historical romance fiction that covers the period of 1916-1922 in Ireland.  The era of Michael Collins and the fight for Irish freedom from the British. The main character, Anne, who lives in 2001, finds she has mysteriously gone back in time upon arriving in Ireland while spreading her Irish grandfather's ashes.  I loved this story.  While my relatives left Ireland around the time of the potato famine, I imagine I still have relatives living there today, and given that they were Catholic, I imagine some of them wanted freedom from England.  While a romance, the story does not detract from the main storyline and is beautifully written.  Afterward, I had to go watch the movie Michael Collins because, while I knew a few things about this period, I really knew nothing. If you like historical fiction, I recommend these two books.