2018 WHEN Are You Reading? @SamAnnElizabeth ‘s Challenge – Completed

Way back in January I decided to try this challenge run by Sam Ann Elizabeth 

The complete challenge was to include at least 12 books, one from each of the following eras:

• Pre 1500
• 1500-1599
• 1600-1699
• 1700-1799
• 1800-1899
• 1900-1919
• 1920-1939
• 1940-1959
• 1960-1979
• 1980-1999
• 2000-Present
• The Future

I wasn’t sure if I read widely enough across the timeline, but today my results surprised me. In sections where I’ve read a high volume of books, I’ve chosen a selection of books. Book titles have links to my reviews.

Pre 1500s

Athena’s Champion by David Hair and Cath Mayo – Greek mythology

Brethren by Robyn Young – Knights Templar

Smile Of The Wolf by Tim Leach – Set in Iceland

The Greenest Branch by J.K. Adams – Set in Germany and features Benedictine abbess Hildegard

The Heart Of The Conqueror by G. Lawrence – About William the Conqueror

Daughter Of War by S .J .A. Turney – Knights Templar

1500-1599

The Golden Lynx by C.P. Lesley – Set in Russia

1600-1699

Flood by Ann Swinfen – Set in England’s Fenlands

The Green Phoenix by Alice Poon – Set in China

1700-1799

The Earl And The Enchantress by Paulette Golden – Historical romance

Whales And Strange Stars by Kathy Sharp – Set in Kent

1800-1899

The Tides Between by Elizabeth Jane Corbett – YA tale of emigration

The Mysterious Lord Millcroft by Virginia Heath – Historical romance

From Governess To Countess by Marguerite Kaye – Historical romance

The Dressmaker’s Secret by Charlotte Betts – Features Princess Caroline Of Brunswick

Winds Of Time by Lilly Gayle – Historical romance set in Texas

My Antonia by Willa Cather – Classic American historical fiction set in Nebraska

1900-1999

The Wild Air by Rebecca Mascull – Featuring early women aviators

Call Of The Canyon by Zane Grey – Set in Arizona

The Captain And The Calvalry Trooper by Catherine Curzon – M/M romance set during WW1

1920-1939

Trusting The Currents by Lynnda Pollio – Set in small town America, with a spiritual theme.

The Madonna Of The Mountains by Elise Valmorbida (begins in 1923) Set in Italy

1940-1959

A Ration Book Christmas by Jean Fullerton – Family saga set in London during WW2

Never Say Goodbye by Hilary Green – A resistance-themed WW2 drama

1960-1979

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (begins in 1962) Set in southern Georgia

Mourning Dove by Claire Fullerton – Set in Memphis

1980-1999

Nightfall Berlin by Jack Grimwood – A cold war thriller

Dear Comrade Novak by Silvia Hildebrant – Set in Romania during the revolution

Lucky Star by Holly Curtis – Coming of age story

2000- present

Connectedness by Sandra Danby (begins in 2009) – Story featuring adoption

Lush by Gabrielle Fernie – A true story soaked in gin

The Woman At Number 24 by Juliet Ashton – Set in Notting Hill

Future

Amendments by Hannah Lynn – Set in futuristic Britain

The Afterlife Of Alice Watkins by Matilda Scotney – Mild scifi

If you’d like to join in with the challenge for 2019 check out Sam’s blog post here.

Rosie’s #Bookreview #WW2 Family Saga A Ration Book Christmas by @JeanFullerton_ #TuesdayBookBlog

A Ration Book Christmas by Jean Fullerton

4 stars

Ration Book Christmas is a family saga set in London during World War Two. It can be read as a stand-alone, but it also follows on from Pocketful Of Dreams.

It opens with teenager Jo Brogan and her young brother Billy, evacuees sent to live near Colchester. But both are unhappy; Jo’s stopped receiving letters from her sweet-heart Tommy and she worries that he’s found someone else. Neither her or Billy are made to feel welcome, so they decide to run away back to London and their family.

1940 sees the heavy nightly bombing from the German Luftwaffe. Several of Jo’s family and friends are doing essential war work, and Jo joins them as a first-aider. She’s also desperate to see Tommy, but when she does find him, he’s with a scantily dressed woman, and Jo flees in tears.

Tommy and his brother Reggie have a criminal reputation, but while Reggie takes advantage of the bombed-out homes and the blackout, Tommy is determined to go straight. He wants an honest future with Jo, but first he has to prove to her that he’s worth it.

I thought the war-time drama and atmosphere were well-written, and the devastation and danger caused by the relentless nightly bombing felt real. There were some great characters, too; Jo’s Grandmother, Queenie, is a particular delight with her wily ways and sense of humour, while I admired Jo’s mother, Ida, and her ability to feed many mouths while rationing was in full flow. The people of London showed stoic resolution to carry on and not be defeated, and it shone through in this book.

Recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction, with plenty of nostalgia filling the pages.

View all my reviews on Goodreads

It’s 1940 and the German Luftwaffe have started their nightly reign of death and destruction over London’s East End. The Brogan family is braced and ready to take on Hitler single-handed, if need be, but with rationing, air-raids and the threat of Nazi invasion hanging over this doughty family, their spirits are taking a bit of a battering…

For Jo, the youngest of the Brogan sisters and newly qualified as an ambulance driver, the freedom of her job also offers the chance to see the love of her life, Tommy Sweete, more often. But Tommy’s dangerous reputation means he’s disapproved of by her family, and any chance of happiness seems very far away. As the Blitz devastates their homes and neighbourhood, can their love survive the horrors of war-time London?

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