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Continuing the countdown of my books, from 1st to 25th, THE JACKAL‘S MISTRESS. Today it‘s my 15th, THE SANDCASTLE GIRLS (2012), a love story set in the midst of the Armenian Genocide. As a grandson of two survivors, this is a profoundly important book to me.

Gratz has a talent for writing the truth of difficult situations. He weaves several plots together, making the reader care about each. It makes me want to host a refugee family. The audiobook was a great road trip listen.

Set in Syria during the uprising, we follow Salama, a girl in her late teens, battling day to day life under the Assad regime.

With the recent fall of Assad, this felt like a timely read.

I want to read these books to understand some of what's going on politically in Syria and to see the everyday person having to life under these circumstances. What does survival look like for someone whose country runs in their veins.

Fantastic book.

Do you like historical fiction? Look what‘s on sale for $1.99, my love story set in the midst of the ArmenianGenocide !

A fictionalization of a real story, this was okay. I didn't like the writing style the author chose to use, but I did get used to it.

This was my first completed book of 2025. I wanted to read it because Nicola Coughlan is rumored to play the author.

At first you can tell Ms. Monaghan is not a professional writer. But, it doesn't matter. That's the point. She is not a writer, she's a mom. She's a mother who has to creep her way into SYRIA on the precipice of the war to RESCUE her baby from a very abusive man. I was sobbing.

#SundayFunDay @BookmarkTavern

Day 3 brings you my book of the year, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow. This book brought out the feels and has stuck with me for a long time. #12BooksOf2024 @Andrew65

This library hold came in, + I started the book, as the current events in Syria hit the headlines. A very good spy thriller set in the country 10 years ago as revolution threatens the Assad regime who are experimenting with poison gas. A cia operative runs a mole + falls for her as she spys on the regime. The hunt for the mole, discovery of the hidden weapons is well done. The news + revelation of horror, however, made it an uncomfortable read

Refugee, created by Alan Gratz, follows 3 refugees from specific timeframes who are trying to leave from warfare and oppression. Isabel, a Cuban girl in 1994 who herself and her family are seeking safety from political rebellion as they flee to United States; Josef, a Jewish boy in the 1930's embarks on a journey to escape Nazi Germany, also known as the Holocaust; and Mahmoud, a Syrian boy in 2015 who struggles to outlive the Syrian War and