Books Set in Eastern Europe & Russia

by Kalani Pickhart

Setting: UKRAINE

This fictional book follows four people through a Ukrainian winter in 2014. In November 2013, there was a large protest in Kyiv about then-President Yanukovych’s decision to align Ukraine with Russia and Vladimir Putin instead of the European Union.

The protest was peaceful until the government used live ammunition against the protestors, killing over 100 Ukrainian citizens. The four characters' lives are all impacted by these events, and eventually, their lives are intertwined.

The Book Girls Say... Readers say that of all the books set in Ukraine, this one will give you the best insight into the precursors to the current situation in Ukraine with Russia. Keep in mind, however, that this book has a non-linear timeline and a very unique format that weaves together poetry, news articles, and songs, in addition to the character's stories. Some found that this style made it hard to follow.

Author Kalani Pickhart holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University. While in grad school, she participated in a Ukrainian language program and was awarded a fellowships from the Virginia G. Piper Center and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Intelligence for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies. She traveled to Ukraine and Praugue in 2018 and met with many Ukrainian's as part of the process of writing this, her debut novel.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
81% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Mark T. Sullivan

Setting: UKRAINE

In 1944, Ukrainians faced invaders on multiple fronts as Hilter and Stalin had both pushed into their country. The Last Green Valley tells the story of one family with a common dilemma in their region. The Martel's had a strong German heritage, but their families had been farming in Ukraine for more than a century.

Like many others, they had a choice. Do they trust that their German blood will protect them and go with the German troops despite not agreeing with the Third Reich agenda? Or stay and risk being sent to Siberian work-camps by Russia?

The Book Girls Say... While this book is historical fiction, it is heavily researched. Don't miss the author's notes at the end, which share more details on which sections of the book are based on the real story of a family he got to know.

The novel is on the longer side at 458 pages, and some reviewers say that it moves slowly in some areas, but also that it will help you understand a whole new facet of WW2.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of April 18, 2023.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Teri M. Brown

Setting: UKRAINE, 1973-2021

This novel begins in 1973 with a Ukrainian rebel who is forced out of his country, leaving behind a wife and daughter. Ivanna must find a way to endure and survive in communist Soviet Ukraine in order to build a life for herself and her young daughter, Yevt. But as Yevt gets older, she isn’t satisfied with way things are and she and her mother do not see eye to eye politically.

Yevt marries a college professor and together they have a daughter, Ionna. Ionna grows up seeing the conflict between her mother and grandmother. She is torn between her loyalty to both women, but because she has not lived through the struggles of Ukraine’s past, she also has a hard time understanding why it’s all such a big deal. That is, until Russia takes over Crimea in 2014.

The Kirkus Review of the novel calls it “A compassionate, balanced, and engaging look at generational conflict—and resolution—during social upheaval.”

The Book Girls Say… Author Teri M. Brown was inspired to write after getting to know a young woman from Ukraine named Ksenia, who served as the inspiration for Ionna in the novel. Ksenia told Teri the story of her grandfather, and from there, Teri created a fictional story that leads up to the ‘inspired by real life’ ending.

The book was written in 2018 and was published in January of 2022, just a month before Russia invaded Ukraine. Since the start of the war, Teri has been donating a portion of the proceeds from the book to a Ukrainian fund selected by Ksenia.

by Adam Higginbotham

Setting: UKRAINE, RUSSIA & BELARUS

On April 26, 1986, a reactor at the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station exploded in the early morning hours, triggering one of the twentieth century's most significant disasters. In addition to causing widespread radiation poisoning, Chernobyl was also a key event in the destruction of the Soviet Union and the United States' victory in the Cold War.

Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews conducted over more than ten years, as well as letters, unpublished memoirs, and documents from recently-declassified archives, Higginbotham provides a robust investigation into Chernobyl. You'll learn how propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of history's worst nuclear disasters.

The Book Girls Say... This work of non-fiction is written by a journalist and includes lots of technical details, but overall it reads more like a movie script. It was named one of NPR's Best Books of 2019.

While this book appears to be very long, the last 1/3 is filled with index and footnotes, so the actual text is only around 380 pages. Our readers say that it reads like a novel.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
90% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Ruta Sepetys

Setting: ROMANIA

In 1989, Communist regimes were falling throughout Eastern Europe, but Romania was still under the control of a tyrant - Nicolae Ceaușescu. Seventeen-year-old Cristian wants to be a writer, but writing freely is not possible in his world.

When Cristian is forced to be an informer for the secret police, he must decide if he's willing to betray those he loves or if he can somehow use the terrible situation to help take down Ceaușescu.

The Book Girls Say... Ruta Sepetys has a gift for telling untold stories in compelling, relatable ways. While this novel is classified as YA, the characters and subject matter are very well-researched and complex, making it very enjoyable for adult readers.

We had nearly 60 of our readers rate this book last year, and it was universally loved!

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Kristen Loesch

Setting: RUSSIA, 1917-1990s

This epic novel follows three generations of Russian women. The story begins with a young girl named Raisa in Moscow living a happy life with her sister, her father, and her mother who collected porcelain dolls and told fairy tales. Then one night, everything changed her mother was all she had left.

A decade later, in 1991, Raisa has taken the English name of Rosie and is studying at Oxford University and carrying for her mother in London. She’s engaged and has a promising future, and wants nothing more than to bury her past. But when her mother dies and leaves her a key, she returns to Russia and begins to uncover a devastating family history that spans the 1917 Revolution, the siege of Leningrad, Stalin’s purges, and beyond.

The Book Girls Say… This historical fiction novel is filled with mystery and Russian fairytales. Readers describe the book as both gorgeous and tragic.

Author Kristen Loesch holds a Master’s degree in Slavonic Studies from the University of Cambridge.

by Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry

Setting: USSR, 1980s and 2000s

Best friends Anya and Milka are teenagers coming of age in the USSR in the 1980s. Their parents’ generation is still talking about WWII and the hardships they have endured while Anya and Milka envision a free and joyful future for themselves. They spend their summers in the orchard of Anya’s family cottage outside of Moscow listening to music and fantasizing about the lives of American teenagers.

By the time Anya and Milka are 15, the Soviet Empire is on the verge of collapse, and the two spend time with their classmates Trifonov and Lopatin. The four become inseparable, sharing secrets, arguing about history, and discussing forbidden books. But their time together is cut short by tragedy. They will lose their country and one another.

Years later, after building a life for herself in the US, Anya returns to Russia where she is reunited with Lopatin, now a businessman who wants to purchase her parent’s cottage and cut down the orchard.

The Book Girls Say… Author Kristina Gorcheva-Newberry is a Russian-Armenian émigré who moved to the United States in 1995 after having witnessed perestroika and the fall of the Iron Curtain. She wrote The Orchard in English, which is her second language.

by Julie Orringer

Setting: HUNGARY

In 1937, Andras, a young Hungarian-Jewish architecture student, departs Budapest. He is bound for Paris with a scholarship, one suitcase, a mysterious letter he promised to deliver. Soon he will find himself falling deeply in love with Klara - the letter's recipient. But Klara has doubts, and she isn't very open about her past.

As the Third Reich rises to power, Andres and Klara leave Paris and seek safety back home in Hungary. Eventually, Andras will discover a secret that will alter the course of his life and his family's history. 

This book will take you from the grand opera houses of Budapest and Paris to the small Hungarian town of Konyár, and from the Carpathian Mountains to the Hungarian labor camps.

The Book Girls Say... If you're looking for a quick read, keep looking. This one comes in at more than 750 pages. But if you want a historical fiction novel that sheds light on lesser-known aspects of WWII and is filled with romance and beautifully developed characters, grab a cozy blanket and crack this one open.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Martha Hall Kelly

Setting: 1914, St. Petersburg, RUSSIA; Paris; USA

While this book is listed as Lilac Girls #2, this novel is actually set a generation earlier against the backdrop of Imperialist Russia. This novel features Caroline’s mother, Eliza, and Like Lilac Girls, the story is also inspired by true events.

Eliza met Sofya years ago during a summer in Paris, and have become close confidantes. While the world is on the brink of war, journalists in New York aren’t taking the threat seriously because the threat has been present for so long. Not understanding the danger, Eliza plans to travel to St. Petersburg with Sofya, who is a cousin of the Romanovs. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia’s dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to the US while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate.

From her side of the world, Eliza works to help Russian families find safety, but when Sofya’s letters stop coming, Eliza fears the worst for her friend.

The Book Girls Say... After spending years researching this novel, author Martha Hall Kelly traveled to Russia so that she could bring the visuals of the country to life on the pages of the book. She also visited a former Russian enclave in Paris.

by Julie Caplin

Setting: CROATIA

When Maddie is offered the chance to work on a luxury yacht for the summer, it's a no-brainer. She'll happily wait on posh guests in exchange for the chance to sail the sparkling turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea off of Croatia.

Maddie is surprised to learn that one of those posh guests - a self-entitled jerk named Nick - is actually her best friend's brother. She can't imagine how they could possibly be related. But when the two find themselves together in a picture-perfect cove, the discover they might have more in common that they first thought.

The Book Girls Say... While many of the books set in Eastern Europe deal with heavy topics, this book is a great option if you want to armchair travel to this region via the pages of a light, fun romance.

This is book 5 in the Romantic Escapes series, but it reads well as an independent standalone. The good news is that if you love this book, you can also look forward to armchair traveling to many more destinations through the pages of this series, including Copenhagen, Paris, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, and Iceland.

by Beatriz Williams

Setting: RUSSIA

Inspired by the true story of the Cambridge Five, Woman in Moscow takes you into the height of the Cold War in 1952. Four years earlier, Iris and her family disappeared from their London home, captivating the world. Her husband is an American diplomat, and the strange disappearance captured the world's attention.

Finally, in 1952, her twin sister Ruth is shocked to get a message from Iris. Within days, there's a plan in place for Ruth to go to Moscow posing as the wife of a counterintelligence agent. Will the plan work to free the family?

The Book Girls Say... This novel is told from multiple points of view and jumps around in time. Our readers enjoyed this book even more after learning that it's based a real-life spy ring.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
83% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Sharon Cameron

Setting: POLAND

This YA historical fiction is based on the true story of Stefania Podgorska. This heroic 16-year-old worked for a Jewish family in their grocery store until German soldiers arrived in town. The family is forced to the ghetto, and Stefania, who is Catholic, is left in the abandoned town and must care for her 6-year-old sister alone.

When one of her employer's sons jumps from a train headed for a WWII death camp, he shows up at Stefania's home. She agrees to hide him and eventually twelve other Jewish members of her town. However, when the enemy knocks on the door to billet in her home, she has to make some serious decisions.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Roxanne Veletzos

Setting: HUNGARY

Wealthy aristocrat Eva is engaged to a doctor and spending her last single summer at her family's estate in Sopron. However, she meets a Romani fiddler and artist, Aleandrao, and they quickly fall in love despite the differences in class that make them look incompatible to outsiders.

The outbreak of war separates Eva and Aleandro, but their chance meeting that summer leads to decisions that change their individual futures.

This historical fiction spans well beyond WW2 in Hungary and will also help you learn about the Hungarian uprising of 1956.

by Kate Quinn

Setting: SOVIET UNION, RUSSIA, & UKRAINE; 1937-1942

This historical fiction novel based on the true story of Lyudmila (Mila) Pavlichenko, a Ukrainian sniper who fought against the Nazis during WWII. The novel follows Mila's journey from a young woman studying history in Kiev to a decorated war hero known as "Lady Death."

In the late 1930s, Mila is a 24-year-old student and library worker living in Kiev. She is intelligent, independent, and fiercely patriotic. When the Nazis invade the Soviet Union in 1941, she joins the Red Army. Mila quickly proves to be a natural sniper.

This novel is told in two timelines - the first being Mila’s time on the battlefield. The second timeline follows Mila’s press tour in Washington DC.

When news of her 300th kill makes her a national hero, she is sent to the United States on a 1942 goodwill tour. In the US, she pleads for the US to send weapons and troops to Europe to help stop the Germans. She also forms an unexpected friendship with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Throughout the novel, in addition to Mila’s perspective, we also see short notes from Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as chapters from the point of view of an unnamed marksman who has been tasked with assassinating Franklin Roosevelt and framing Mila for the murder.

The Book Girls Say… This historical fiction novel has a little everything - from the frontlines of war to romance and mystery. Some reviewers say that the beginning and end of this book move quickly, but that the middle drags a bit with a few too many detailed battlefield scenes, although others site those scenes as their favorites.

by Leon Leyson

Setting: POLAND

When the author was ten years old, his homeland of Poland was invaded, and his family was forced to move to a Krakow ghetto. Daily life required perseverance for survival in unbelievably cruel conditions.

Eventually, his life was saved by the incredibly generous and brave actions of Oskar Shindler. This book is the only memoir from a Schindler's list child. It is said to leave a legacy of hope despite the subject matter.

The Book Girls Say... This middle-grade memoir is a powerful read for readers of all ages.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Kristin Hannah

Setting: RUSSIA

Sisters Meredith and Nina have little in common other than their love for their dear father. They've spent most of their life feeling like they didn't really know their mother, but when their father falls ill, his final wish is for his daughters to get to know their mother better. In their younger years, Anya sometimes told the girls a Russian fairy tale and their father makes her promise that she will tell the story one last time - all the way to the end.

The story alternates between past and present as Meredith and Nina hear the fairy tale and learn the harrowing story of the mother's life five decades earlier in war-torn Leningrad, Russia. They will ultimately learn something so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the foundation of their family and change who they believe they are.

The Book Girls Say... Many WWII historical novels focus on the region of France and Germany, but The Winter Garden illuminates the experiences of those in Russia and left us with a much better understanding of the Eastern Front. But this is much more than just another WWII story. It's a compelling and moving family story as well.
Like all of Kristin Hannah's novels, this book is beautifully written. It is a bit slow to start, and the characters aren't immediately likable, but you'll find yourself pulled in as the lines between fairy tale and reality begin to blur.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of April 18, 2023.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
96% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Sara Nović 

Setting: CROATIA

In 1991, 10-year-old Ana had no idea that Yugoslavia was about to erupt into the chaos that would eventually lead her home of Croatia to become its own country.

Ana's daily life goes from carefree days playing in the streets to learning about snipers and child soldiers. This new and enduring conflict transforms her coming-of-age period. Eventually, she makes a daring escape to America.

After a while, she hides her tragic past from others and even from herself. However, while in college, she decides to return alone to Croatia to rediscover her homeland.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
88% Would Recommend to a Friend

Ruta Sepetys

Setting: LITHUANIA & RUSSIA

Lina is a typical 15-year-old Lithuanian girl who loves painting, drawing, and boys. But one night in 1941, Soviet officers burst into her home, tearing her family away from their comfortable life. She and her mother and brother are forced onto a train with no idea where they are headed.

Under Stalin's orders, they are sent into a work camp under the cruelest and coldest conditions. But, somehow, Lina finds comfort in her drawings. She depicts the scenes she witnesses daily in hopes that they'll provide proof of all they are forced to endure.

The Book Girls Say... This YA novel deals with the very grim realities of a Gulag and will introduce you to a side of WII that you've probably learned little about. Some readers didn't enjoy the audio version of this book as much as the printed version.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
94% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Elizabeth Kostova

Setting: BULGARIA

This suspenseful novel will take you through different phases of Bulgarian history. Twenty-six-year-old American Alexandra travels to the beautiful city of Sofia, hoping the change of scenery will help her deal with the loss of her brother.

After arriving and helping an elderly couple into a taxi, she realizes that she still has one of their bags. When she discovers that the bag holds a box of ashes, she's determined to find the couple. Her search encompasses experiences that teach her about the history and culture of Bulgaria, which is a more dangerous investigation than she expected.

The Book Girls Say... This is a long novel at nearly 500 pages. The realities of the work camp scenes are intense and can be difficult to read.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
90% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Roxanne Veletzos

Setting: ROMANIA

In 1941, Romania was newly allied with the German army, and the Jewish population was in grave danger of persecution. One freezing night, a young Jewish girl's parents are forced to leave her behind, and she is found on the steps of an apartment building in Bucharest.

The girl is placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by a wealthy couple that renames her Natalia. She comes of age in Romania under Soviet occupation, where life behind the Iron Curtain feels bleak and hopeless.

When Natalia is in her early twenties and working at a warehouse packing fruit, she is reunited with Victor, who she had a secret crush on in her younger years. He is now an important official in the Communist regime, and the two are fatefully drawn into a passionate affair despite the obstacles swirling around them and Victor's dark secrets.

When Natalia is suddenly offered a one-time chance at freedom, Victor is determined to help her escape, even if it means losing her. She must make an agonizing decision: remain in Bucharest with her beloved adoptive parents and the man she has come to love, or seize the chance to live life on her own terms.

The Book Girls Say... This historical fiction novel is perfect for fans of Lilac Girls and Sarah's Key.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
95% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Bill Browder

Setting: RUSSIA

This real-life political thriller tells the true story of an American financier Bill Browder, a graduate of Stanford Business School, who began his career as a hedge fund investor in the 1990s. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, his career led him to Moscow, where he co-founded Hermitage Capital Management and became the largest foreign portfolio investor in Russia.

A decade later, when Browder exposed the corrupt Russian oligarchs who were robbing the companies he was investing in, Vladimir Putin had him expelled from Russia. All the while, his employees in Russia lived in fear, and his attorney - Sergei Magnitsky - was ultimately imprisoned in Moscow, where he died.

The Book Girls Say... This memoir provides an enthralling look inside the terrifying world of Russian business, government corruption, and human rights violation. This book also provides the context for the Magnitsky Act, which the US Congress passed and signed into law in 2012.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Audrey Murray

Setting: RUSSIA and 13 countries in the former SOVIET BLOC

In this travel memoir, comedienne Audrey Murray chronicles her adventures across the former Soviet Union, as she attempted to connect with the region's people, culture, and history.

Leaving her corporate job in New York City, Audrey sets off on a nine-month journey through 13 countries in the former Soviet bloc, including Belarus.

This travelogue is a collection of humorous and poignant stories from those travels as she navigated language barriers, architectural marvels, and the challenge of understanding in a foreign land.

Throughout her travels, she attended an open mic night in Moscow, searched for black markets in Tbilisi, explored Soviet-era architecture in Kyiv, and encountered emotionally unavailable Russian men in various cities.

Along the way, she discovered the resilience and spirit of the people who inhabit these countries, shedding light on the complex and multifaceted nature of the region's post-Soviet identity.

The Book Girls Say... This book was recommended to us by several of our readers who said that it's a light and humorous take on this region of the world.

Some of the countries she visited are in Eastern Europe, while others are in Asia, so if you don't get a chance to red it this month, you could always consider it as an option for a book set in Northern Asia.

by Ruta Sepetys

Setting: BALTIC SEA & EAST PRUSSIA (now Lithuania, Poland, and Russia)

When you think of maritime disasters, the Titanic is probably the first that comes to mind. But the deadliest disaster at sea occurred in 1945 when a Soviet submarine sunk the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner, in the Baltic Sea.

As WWII drew to a close and the Red Army advanced on Germany, a massive evacuation effort began to ferry civilians, soldiers, and equipment to safety. The Wilhelm Gustloff, which had a capacity of 1,800, was packed with more than 10,500 passengers. More than 9,000 people lost their lives when the ship sank, including 5,000 infants and children.

This historical fiction YA novel, tells the stories of four passengers - 21-year-old Joana, who is fleeing her native country of Lithuania; Florian, an artist from East Prussia; 15-year-old Emilia from Poland, who is pregnant; and Alfred, a pompous 17-year-old German soldier.

When tragedy strikes, each of them - regardless of country, culture, or status - must fight for their survival.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
98% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Vladimir Lorchenkov

Setting: MOLDOVA

The Moldovian village of Larga is depressed in more ways than one, and its remaining citizens long for a better life. Meanwhile, just over the border in Italy, the economy is booming. Moldovan writer Vladimir Lorchenkov tells the story of a group of villagers desperate to emigrate from Europe's most impoverished nation to Italy for work, which leads to all kinds of shenanigans.

This satirical and absurd tragi-comedy is "simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking" An Orthodox priest is deserted by his wife for an art-dealing atheist; a mechanic redesigns his tractor for travel by air and sea, and thousands of villagers take to the road on a modern-day religious crusade to make it to the promised land of Italy. Meanwhile, politicians remain politicians.

The Book Girls Say... For another look at Moldova, check out Playing the Moldovans at Tennis by Tony Hawks.

by Elena Gorokhova

Setting: RUSSIA

Sasha dreams of becoming an actress and moves to Moscow in hopes of attending a drama school. However, in post-WW2 Russia, everything is more complicated than it seems on the surface.

Leaving her small town is in defiance of her mother and grandparents, and also means leaving behind her first love, Andrei.

However, before she leaves, she discovers her uncle Kolya's journal. He's still missing in action, but his journal outlines the lies and brutality of Stalin. His experiences reinforce her desire to live out her dreams and graduate from acting school. But her past returns when Andrei, now a Communist party member, must censor her work on stage. She begins to wonder if her dreams are worth all the sacrifices they require.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of April 18, 2023.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
80% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Amor Towles

Setting: RUSSIA

In 1922, Count Rostov is sentenced to house arrest in a grand hotel across from the Kremlin. Over the next 30 years, he remains in the hotel but manages to form relationships with new friends, a lover, and a precocious nine-year-old who takes him on spying adventures in hidden spaces of the hotel.

Because the book covers 30 years, you'll get insight into a large and vital segment of Russian history through the eyes of one witty man.

The Book Girls Say... We were hesitant to include this book because it takes place only inside a hotel, so it doesn't have any details of the region's landscape. It's also a slow-burn, which makes for a long read of an already lengthy book. However, it talks about food, Russian literature, and some of the strife of the Stalin era. Those who enjoy it absolutely love it. Just keep in mind it's very much a character study vs. something plot-driven with lots of action.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Robert Dugoni

Setting: RUSSIA

Charles is retired from the CIA, but with a new baby on the way, he finds himself desperate for money. So when his former bureau chief shows up with a risky new assignment that would take him undercover in Moscow, he agrees to the mission because he can't afford not to.

He is charged with locating a Russian agent who is believed to be taking out members of a US spy cell, but when he identifies the agent, he discovers she's not who he thought. Charles soon finds himself abandoned by the agency he serves and fighting to survive a deadly game of cat and mouse.

The Book Girls Say...  Fans of The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell will recognize this author, although this pulse-pounding thriller is of a very different style.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of April 18, 2023.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐
95% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Jasmina Dervisevic-Cesic

Setting: YUGOSLAVIA / BOSNIA, 1990s

In this short, 214-page memoir, Jasmina tells the story of her experiences in the 1990s. At the age of 15, she was living the life of a typical teenager in a modern Yugoslavian suburb. Her biggest concerns were what shoes to wear and how to talk to the boy she liked.

But when Yugoslavia started to break apart, and when the national army turned its weapons on its own people, Jasmina was forced to grow up very quickly. In this memoir, Jasmina bears withness to what happened to her country and the people she loved and lost. More than half of the four million residents in Bosnia became refugees, an estimated 100,000 people were killed and 20,000-50,000 women were raped, many of them repeatedly.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of April 18, 2023.

by Victoria Hislop

Setting: GREECE

This epic historical fiction novel captures the energy and life of Thessaloniki, Greece.

Dimitri is born to one of the wealthiest families in the city, but after a great fire sweeps through Thessaloniki in 1917, destroying the family's villa, they are forced to relocate to a poorer section of the city - one where Christians, Jews, and Muslims have been living side by side in harmony.

As a young girl, Katerina's family is evacuated from their home in Turkey, and she becomes separated from her mother and sister. While her family ends up in Athens, she finds herself in Thessaloniki. Here, she becomes a seamstress creating beautiful gowns for the wealthy women of Thessaloniki.

The lives of Dimitri and Katerina become intertwined, and their love story endures even as their beloved city is ruined by earthquakes, fires, and wartime and time again. This is a heart-warming love story, but it also provides excellent insight into the troubled history of this region.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
95% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Grigory Rodchenkov

Setting: RUSSIA

In this memoir, which was named the 2020 William Hill Sports Book of the Year, and which tells the full story behind the 2017 Oscar Award-winning film, Icarus, the author details how he was the mastermind behind, and then the whistleblower that brought down, Russia's secret doping empire.

This story charts Rodchenkov's childhood growing up behind the Iron Curtain, his first encounter with doping as a student-athlete at Moscow State University, and his career working for the Soviet Olympic Committee.

In 2015, Russia's Anti-Doping Centre was suspended by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following revelations of an elaborate state-sponsored doping program at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The doping program involved a nearly undetectable steroid delivery system known as 'Duchesse cocktail' and tampering with and switching of urine samples in a complex state-sanctioned cover-up.

Book Girls' Readers Rate This Book ⭐⭐⭐⭐½
100% Would Recommend to a Friend

by Aliide Naylor

Setting: ESTONIA, LATVIA, and LITHUANIA

Based on her extensive research and work as a journalist, Aliide Naylor takes us inside the current geopolitics of the Baltic region. Naylor's maternal grandmother escaped from Estonia at the end of WW2, and she has lived in both St. Petersburg and Moscow, giving her insight into the Baltics from both sides of the fence.

Traveling to the heart of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, she explores modernity in the region that birthed Skype, investigates smuggling and reports of troop movements in the borderlands, and explains the countries' unique cultural identities. Naylor provides historical context for current events and shares why the Baltics matter, along with the reasons this region is about to become the new frontline in the political struggle between East and West.