I wanted to tell you about two new books I especially enjoyed:
First is The Rose Code: A Novel by Kate Quinn.
A highly anticipated book from my early 2021 reading list , this is a WWII novel set in Britain around Bletchley Park, a top secret location where where codebreakers worked around the clock to crack the German communications. The story follows three women in a dual timeline who were recruited to work there, one of which is dating the eventual Prince Phillip, and this made it more intriguing for me (though it is historical fiction the character is based on someone he did date at the time who did work at Bletchley!) The second timeline leads up to Philip’s wedding to Queen Elizabeth as a mystery brings the code breakers back together.
The Venice Sketchbook: A Novel by Rhys Bowen
Also a dual timeline novel, this story begins when a young girl visits Venice with her strict aunt but still manages to meet and fall in love with a handsome boy who is promised to another. Years later, her great niece, using clues whispered on a deathbed, follows her footsteps there years later to find out what three mysterious keys unlock. I loved the setting of this book; I’ve never been to Venice but now I have an affinity for this city of canals and a new desire to visit.