Under Two Flags is a historical fiction by Janis Robinson Daly. And Josephine? She is a character you will want to meet! She is the daughter of US immigrants who embraced all things American. Her mother gave up a promising career as an opera singer and her father built a business from nothing. Josephine, having her mother's singing gift, believed she, too, might be an opera singer until her father's death changed everything. Now, as WWI erupts in Europe, Josephine is given a chance of a lifetime - to study opera in Germany at the same school her mother had been forced to leave.

As with most adventures, Josephine arrives wearing rose colored glasses, assuming the war would be a mere inconvenience. However, she quickly learns the war permeates every aspect of German life. And as an American, she was suspect - a privileged oddity at best and a potential spy at worst.

What happens when the US enters the war? When a German solider takes a fancy to Josephine? When one of Josephine's friends is accused of being a spy? When the cold and hunger leave her weak with anemia? When her teachers find her too American? When being Jewish clashes with food rations? When homesickness makes her rethink all of her choices? When going home is no longer a choice?

Under Two Flags is a fictionalized version of a real woman during WWI - and it's a story you won't want to miss.

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The Afterlife Project is a dystopian science fiction by Tim Weed. I can honestly say I am shocked by how much I enjoyed this book. I tend not to like science fiction or dystopian literature. However, this one had me from moment one. Why? The characters! We get into the head of Nick, a microbiologist, who is now 10,000 years into the future due to the cataclysmic climate issues caused by humans. We also follow the last remaining members of the Centauri crew in 2068 - tasked with trying to save the species through a journal kept by Alejandra. We skip back and forth between the two time periods, always wondering if the human race survives.

Tim did an amazing job describing a world 10,000 years after it's destruction by humans - as well as what it would be like to live in a climate crisis - all without being preachy. He manages this by letting us see the world through the imperfect eyes of the characters. They make mistakes. They trust the wrong people. They believe in miracles that aren't likely to happen. They do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Just like you and just like me.

I couldn't put this book down and have already recommended it to several friends. It's a must-read!

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Alive and Beating by Rebecca Wolf is a beautiful literary fiction novel. Loosely based on the true story of Rebecca's friend, Alisa, this story looks at six individuals linked only by the need for an organ donation to survive. Set in Israel, the six main characters span across the different religions and nationalities. Although this area of the world is steeped in conflict, Rebecca shows us something more - humanity. In fact, when hope for a healthy body is the top priority, we see that so many other things just don't matter.

I was immediately drawn into the characters' lives and hoped they would find their miracle. From the young Hasidic woman to the young teenage boys, I went willingly along on their journeys of both despair and hope. And of course, the thought never left me that for these six to survive, someone had to die. Offering life from tragedy is a noble gift.

This is a story that will stick with you long after you close the pages. The only thing I wish I knew is what the characters did with the great gift bestowed upon them.

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