Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Waiting to Read Wednesday: 2666/A Woman of No Importance/Lost Roses



The Old(er) 
I have an embarrassing number of unread books sitting on the shelves in my personal library. Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight and discuss those neglected books in her Books from the Backlog feature. After all, even those older books need a bit of love! Not to mention it is reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!


2666 by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer (Picardor, 2009 - originally published in 2004)
Three academics on the trail of a reclusive German author; a New York reporter on his first Mexican assignment; a widowed philosopher; a police detective in love with an elusive older woman—these are among the searchers drawn to the border city of Santa Teresa, where over the course of a decade hundreds of women have disappeared. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this:  I had heard magnificent things about this book and so added it to my TBR shelf. I find the size a bit intimidating, admittedly, which is why it still remains unread. One of these days perhaps. 



Have you read this one? If so, what did you think? What book has been lingering on your shelf for a while that you want to read?

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The New
Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.


A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell
Release Date: April 9, 2019 by Viking
The never-before-told story of one woman's heroism that changed the course of the Second World War

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her."

This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization dubbed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France.

Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic panache, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read it: I enjoy reading novels featuring women in nontraditional roles, and this nonfiction book caught my attention in particular given the time period and Virginia Hall's role in the war.


Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly
Release Date: April 9, 2019 by Ballantine Books
The runaway bestseller Lilac Girls introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. This sweeping new novel, set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, features Caroline's mother, Eliza, and follows three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of World War I.

It is 1914 and the world has been on the brink of war so many times, many New Yorker's treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanov's. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime, home with Sofya to see the splendors of Russia. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia's Imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate. In need of domestic help, they hire the local fortuneteller's daughter, Varinka, unknowingly bringing intense danger into their household. On the other side of the Atlantic, Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya's letters suddenly stop coming she fears the worst for her best friend.

From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg to the avenues of Paris and the society of fallen Russian emigre's who live there, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways, taking readers on a breathtaking ride through a momentous time in history.  [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Not the best time to be traveling to Russia, I imagine, but what an intriguing story line this promises to be!


Do these interest you too? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to getting your hands on and reading?


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32 comments:

  1. The last two both sound like books I'd enjoy and that would even be good book club reads. Thanks for sharing!

    Tressa @ Wishful Endings

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  2. A Woman of No Importance sounds fascinating.

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    1. Greg - Doesn't it? I can't wait to read it. Thank you for stopping by!

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  3. The Virginia Hall story sounds brilliant!

    Here's my Waiting On Wednesday post. Hope you're having a great week! Happy Hump Day! xx

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  4. 2666 sounds like it'll be a tough read but A Woman of No Importance sounds amazing!

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    1. Nicci - 2666 does sound tough, doesn't it? Hopefully I will feel up to reading it one of these days. Thank you for stopping by.

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  5. I haven't read any of them but the Purnell book really appeals to me.

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    1. Kathy - Hopefully it will be as good as it sounds! Thank you for visiting!

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  6. I've heard good things about 2666 as well. Don't let the size intimidate you. Just more book to love!

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    1. Barb - That's a good way to think of those thicker books! Thank you for stopping by.

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  7. A Woman of No Importance looks fascinating! I'm adding that one to my TBR!

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    1. Katherine - I think so too! I hope you love it if you read it. Thanks for visiting.

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  8. A Woman of No Importance sounds absolutely fascinating. That's definitely going on my wish list.

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  9. All of these sound good, but I'm especially drawn to the spy book! :)

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  10. There is something about larger books that make me hesitate to pick them up. 2666 sounds really good though. I can't wait to see what you think of these once you get the chance to give them a try.

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    1. Carole - Right? I wish I didn't find them so intimidating. Some bigger books read fast, which you would think would make me less hesitant to pick one up. Thank you for stopping by.

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  11. All the books sound good, hope you get to read them soon!

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  12. I've got a few doorstopper-sized books that intimidate me.
    Oh yes, those two historicals look fab, too.

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    1. Sophia Rose - I hope they will be as good as they sound. Thank you for stopping by!

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  13. Don't sweat it, I too have a crazy amount of unread books sitting in my personal library lol. I like the Books from the Backlog feature.
    And I have a copy of Lost Roses, it does sound very good.
    Enjoy your week!

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    1. Naida - Sooo many unread books . . . . At least we won't run out of reading material. :-) Thank you for visiting!

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  14. The Purnell and Kelly books are going on my TBR. Thanks for bringing them to my attention.

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    1. Mystica - I hope you love them! Thank you for stopping by!

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  15. I just finished Lost Roses over the weekend and it's fantastic!

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    1. Suzanne - I am so glad to hear you loved Lost Roses. I can't wait to read it. Thank you for visiting!

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  16. oh I love the two historicals! WWII is my top fav topic for historical, especially about spies! so I hope A Woman of No Importance is good@!

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    1. Daniela - I hope it will be good too. I can't resist historical fiction, especially when they deal with WWII. Thank you for stopping by!

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