I Must Betray You - Ruta Sepetys

Found this book at my local library's annual book sale last year and picked it up because I recognized the author's name (from this book I read way back in 2011!). This was a very fast-paced YA historical fiction novel that explores Romania just before the 1989 revolution. The author builds a real sense of the oppressiveness of life at the time, and provides some truly disturbing details. Recommended. 

The Spider Sapphire Mystery - Carolyn Keene

Found this book at a yard sale, and it's a copy from "my era" - the time of my childhood when I was reading every Nancy Drew book I could get my hands on. I may have even had this particular book - I no longer have any of my childhood books, unfortunately, and I can't remember which Nancy Drew books I used to own. It's a definite relic from the past, but I read it in 90 minutes so it was an .... interesting look into the past, ha ha. 

My Friend Anne Frank - Hannah Pick-Goslar

It's more important than ever to remember the stories of those who survived the Holocaust, as they are also telling us the stories of those who did not. This is a really important book - and not just because of the author's link to Anne Frank, who has become a symbol for those who were murdered. Hearing her own heartbreaking story is difficult - I cannot imagine even a fraction of what she endured. Recommended.