Welcome to Litsy!

I love WWII fiction and this gave me such a warm and comforting feeling while I listened to it…there‘s just something about that whole “keeping the home fires burning” scenario, even while it can be sad, that draws me in and gives me comfort. The characters were great - other than one, which was just horrid and I didn‘t believe her big change one bit - and I definitely recommend to anyone who loves WWII fiction like I do. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I have been saving this one (part of my #RecipeSwap package from @BookNAround last year) for my virtual foodie book club. Sweet WWII historical fiction about 4 very different British women in a wartime cooking contest with the first prize of being a radio host on The Kitchen Front radio show, helping housewives & home cooks creat good meals from their rations & learn how to stretch them. A bit predictable , but an endearing story of friendship.

This book is just “meh.” The writing is rather pedestrian (I lost count of how many times a character “strode” into the yard/out of the room). And the sudden personality change one of the characters makes towards the end is unrealistic given her behavior up to that point. So there was a lot of eye-rolling on my part. But I did finish the book. So I guess that‘s … something. 🤷🏻‍♀️

My goal is to read more than my usual 8 this month but there are several chunsters on this board! #BookSpinBingo

What a sweet read. I loved this. It was easy, the characters were likable and realistic, it had lots of cooking, and some great female friendships. Story of 4 women competing to be on a cooking radio show in WWII. An excellent beach read. 9/10
TW: domestic violence

I feel like I‘ve read this story before because there are just so many WWII books out there. However the food and recipes in this one made it readable. I really enjoyed reading about the food and all of the creative ways people used it during the war.

Sooooooo soo so thankfully I haven‘t had to live through war time food rations. Really cute and quick read.

Book 9

Enjoyable but not necessarily surprising, this book was a soft Pick for me. I‘m glad I finally read it but am happy to move on to something else. 🤷🏻‍♀️

#BookSpinBingo #freespace @TheAromaofBooks
Another very lovely book by this author. It's based on a WW2 radio program that helped women cook with the limited foodstuff and rations. It revolved around Audrey whose husband was lost in the war. And a contest to determine who would be a co host on the show. Recommend!

Felt like a #reread to kick off 2022. I appreciate that this book is romance-lite - it makes the female friendships even more developed and nuanced. #historicalfiction

Finished this in the wee hours last night with my eyes burning to close. I enjoyed this book so much, particularly the bits involving food and gardening, and I loved the found family aspect that emerged as the story progressed. This is not a sad or heavy WWII book, like so many are. It‘s truly lighthearted and delightful. The characters are resourceful with their cooking and seasoning of foods in order to stretch out their rations.

This is my current read and I‘m loving it so much. There is cooking and gardening in the story plus the parts about wartime rationing are interesting.

This is, at heart, a character-driven story about friendship and the roles others play in our lives. I thoroughly enjoyed it. There‘s no mystery, parts of the plot are predictable, but it was a feel-good read. The author has included numerous actual WWII recipes and a breakdown of what an individual‘s ration was in Britain, which is quite a revelation. Definitely recommend.

Finally! 🥧

📖 Tagged
🌻Being at the botanical garden where I volunteer and seeing so much beauty.
🤦‍♀️ When my bookmark falls out or I accidentally close my book before I have the bookmark in place.
#thoughtfulThursday

We stopped at the library so hubby could drop off a book. I was under control-I only brought one home 😂

This was a charming WW2 story of 4 women from different backgrounds competing in a cooking contest to be a radio show host. Inspired by a true story, it was a lovely example of women lifting up women and friendship. 4⭐️ Another #bookspinbingo !!

such a sweet story about 4 women who live in rural England during WWII. a bit cliché and some overused words, but overall an enjoyable summer read!

This week required a light audiobook and this was a good choice. I loved the cooking competition featuring recipes made with wartime rations as four women try to win a spot as a presenter on a BBC radio show. Each woman has her own struggles in her life and winning the competition would help them all. The story got a bit overly sweet at times but I found all of the details about rationing fascinating.

Easy to read story of four women in England during WWII. Heart warming.

What a joy to do #audiostitching with this wonderfully heartwarming story of four competitors ina WWII BBC cooking competition.

Having a great time #audiostitching to this story of a WWII BBC cooking competition

Feeling inspired to make my own ice cream - double chocolate cherry! #audiobook #audiocooking

I didn‘t realize I needed a light read because this hit the spot, despite the sentimentality and light romance that I don‘t go in for usually. I loved contest premise and the recipes were a delightful bonus!

If you are looking for an easy read about the nourishment of food and friendship, this may fit the bill.

I can attest to the fact 🐳 is an acquired taste. Very fishy & oily! 😶 I was surprised to read it was an encouraged commodity by the British Ministry of Food during WWII. Though on reflection it makes sense in terms of mass.

Ryan must have had fun researching for this novel!

“Oh, Nell dear, no one has a full downstairs staff anymore.”

I think that‘s the source of my housekeeping challenge. 🙃😆

I knew I was going to like this - sucked right in with the first chapter. As a surprise bonus, there are recipes! Has anyone made any of them?

I‘m surprised my library hold came up so soon! I am very grateful to have free access to books. But I‘m also always a tiny bit aggravated when I feel pressured to set aside a non-library book I‘m in the middle of for fear of the due date! 😅

Such a good historical fiction read! My favorite parts were about the cooking and recipes, and I learned a lot about rationing and daily life in WWII England. I also loved the strong female relationships. At times overly saccharine, but sometimes that‘s comforting.

This is my real-life book club‘s May choice - WWII books always seem to win the vote! This is a rather charming read- with four women from different walks of life who come together to compete in a contest for a new BBC presenter for new wartime rationing recipes. There are moments are of hardships and personal struggles in relationships and is engaging from start to finish- plus there are some interesting ideas for recipes! #AudioColoring

A gentle read... just what I needed right now ❤️

The Great British Bake-Off meets WWII. I loved the recipes, the competition, seeing how the lives of these women wove together. I wasn't the biggest fan of the ending, it felt a little too saccharine for me but generally was one of the best books of 2021 for me.

The German Blitzkrieg of World War 2 has made British food rations and supplies scarce for the country. When the BBC radio show offers a grand prize for an original recipe, four women jump at the opportunity. They include a widow who is financially struggling, a female chef suddenly finding herself expecting, an abused wealthy socialite, and a maid who wishes for more. Their lives will intertwine in this book of food and friendship.

I really enjoyed this book. Takes place during WWII in England and explores the lives of village women and how they cooked with rationed food. Four women enter a contest to win a chance to cohost a wartime cooking radio show. I loved the recipes included and the explanations of how they made so much out of so little.

Solid, interesting story. If you like Tracy Chevalier‘s work, you‘ll enjoy this. Extra benefit are some wild recipes from the days of food rationing during WWII.

This is a story of female friendships, resilience, found families, hope, and cooking. All four MCs had strengths and weaknesses but they were always strong when they were helping each other. I loved how this ended but I'll wish for a follow up. It would be great to revisit these ladies 5 years in the future. I'd especially like to see what the future holds for Nell and Paolo.

Here's what's on my cataloging cart this week. 😁

#CurrentlyListening to this recommendation from @WanderingBookaneer

I was so excited to find that the book I received today from my Shelf Subscription from #thebookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia was The Kitchen Front. This was on my virtual TBR list as I loved The Chilbury Ladies‘ Choir and this also looked to be up my alley. So psyched that I have my own copy and don‘t have to wait on the hold list at the library. Love getting good book mail!

Not bad. I found it a bit predictable and sometimes bland.

Oh my goodness, this book! It was one of those books that by page 10 I knew I was going to love it. After reading ‘The Chilbury Ladies‘ Choir‘ Jennifer Ryan became an insta-buy author. This book didn‘t disappoint; I laughed (the scene with Audrey and Gertrude was my favorite!!), I loathed characters and rooted for these amazing women all the way to the last page! I definitely recommend this book to all historic fiction fans and all cooking fans!!

I have 3-4 days now to read this one.

I knew this book was going to be On Brand for me and I was NOT disappointed. I loved watching each of the four women grow and come together, even if a couple developments felt a little spontaneous, and the cooking competition angle was so fun! We could all use the camaraderie the Four Friends have. #historicalfiction