The Distinctly Competent District Councillor

THE DISTINCTLY COMPETENT DISTRICT COUNCILLOR by Jonas Jonasson is a quick read (144 pages) which will have readers laughing and smiling even as Jonasson satirizes multinational conglomerates and their impact on small towns. The newly elected mayor, Julia Back, of a small Swedish town, Halstaholm, is intent on improving future prospects for her constituents and she spearheads a campaign to attract investment by a German mattress manufacturer. Her local task force (including a ten-year-old boy) quickly devise a number of surprising ways (e.g., starting a German language school) to convince the owner, Konrad Kaltenbacher Jr., and his two young daughters that Halstaholm is German-friendly. They are up against a tight timeframe and some unethical competition from consultants pushing for a rival location, however. Let the contest begin! Jonasson said that he “felt the urge to write something that might give us hope … about friendship between people from different nations.” Booklist called THE DISTINCTLY COMPETENT DISTRICT COUNCILLOR a “warm-hearted satire” and The Mail on Sunday described it as “a shot of serotonin in book form.” Enjoy!!

A Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn

A FAMILY OF SPIES by Christine Kuehn is a significant work of non-fiction that reads like a fictional story. Readers will be enthralled and surprised at the real-life twists in this “World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor.” In 1994, Christine receives a letter from a screenwriter asking about her paternal grandfather, Otto Kuehn, implying that he had been a Nazi agent stationed in Hawaii just prior to the attacks in Pearl Harbor. What follows is Christine’s account of her research, including a confrontation with her own father, and subsequent discoveries about her own family history. She learns about her father’s older stepsiblings: Leopold, who worked in Germany as a deputy to Hitler’s propaganda minister and Ruth, who had an affair with Goebbels until (the author believes) he found out that she was Jewish and arranged for the family to emigrate to Hawaii where Ruth and her parents acted as spies, eventually appearing on an FBI watch list. It is a truly fascinating account.

I listened to portions of the audiobook which is narrated by Erin Bennett and very well presented. Recommend this unusual, but engrossing, title to WWII history buffs.

Far and Away by Amy Poeppel

FAR AND AWAY by Amy Poeppel is a very clever, fun read even though the situation seems quite implausible at first… who gets drunk (or almost drunk) and agrees to an international house swap without a pretty thorough vetting? Well, readers should let that go and just enjoy the antics of the many characters in this delightful commentary on family life, motherhood, and marriage as well as the cultural differences between the United States (especially Dallas) and Germany (Berlin). The house swap is agreed between Greta (art curator, wife to an underappreciated German scientist named Otto, and mother to Emmi, about to head off to an internship in New York and then to college) and Lucy, (interior designer, wife to Max, a NASA scientist temporarily incommunicado, and mother to high school senior Jack and 8-year old twins Alice and Zoe). The cast would not be complete, though, without the in-laws, neighbors, and co-workers, all of whom contribute to misunderstandings in this “comedy of errors” where “it means there can be more than one version of the same story.” FAR AND AWAY is a truly heart-warming tale that will have readers looking for more titles by Amy Poeppel. An amusing and charming summer read! 

One note: I am glad that I read the preview as an eBook and could easily translate German phrases (e.g., So schnell wie möglich, bitte or Du machst keinen Sinn) even though the author gives context clues. In a recent interview Poeppel explained her choice of locales: “This was a chance for me to write a little love letter to Dallas and to Berlin… to just express some of the things that I love the most about both places and what I miss the most ...” 

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

THE LISTENERS is a mix of historical fiction, sprinkled with magic, and romance as well as being the adult debut from the best-selling young adult author Maggie Stiefvater (Shiver, The Raven Boys, All the Crooked Saints and many more). Set in the early 1940s during WWII, the focus is on a fictional West Virginian resort hotel called the Avallon (think The Greenbrier or The Homestead) where the extremely capable general manager is a young, local woman named June Hudson. Through compassion and understanding, she fosters the loyalty and affection of her staff and even many of the hotel guests: “June had long ago discovered that most people were bad listeners; they thought listening was synonymous with hearing. But the spoken was only half a conversation. True needs, wants, fears, and hopes hid not in the words that were said, but in the ones that weren't...” Friction ensues when FBI agents (Tucker Rye Minnick, Hugh Calloway, and Pony Harris) and State Department (Benjamin Pennybacker) representatives arrive because the hotel is ordered to provide lodging for an array of diplomats (German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese), their staff, and other foreign nationals (journalists, pilots) prior to their being repatriated. It is a big ask for locals, many of whom have relatives serving in the US military, but June facilitates the stay while also mourning the recently deceased hotel owner, navigating her own romantic feelings, and managing the magical waters associated with the hotel. THE LISTENERS, the Top Pick LibraryReads selection for June 2025, received a starred review from Booklist, Library Journal, and Kirkus (“A novel that will remind readers of why they fell in love with reading in the first place.”). In the author’s notes, Stiefvater suggests several other books to serve as “accessible starting points” about the background history. 

Humphrey and Me plus The Woman at the Wheel

Back to historical fiction with reviews of two recent works: 

HUMPHREY AND ME by Stuart H. Brody is a work of historical fiction that covers almost two decades beginning in the early 1960s. There are two narrators: Ray Elias, initially a bit of a nerdy a high school student who gets involved in politics, and Hubert Humphrey – first as Senator, then as VP and presidential candidate and finally as a Senator again.  As any student of American history knows this was an exciting, turbulent time in American history and Humphrey was a key character involved with civil rights and progressive politics. What troubled me was the book’s depiction of him as talking about war protestors as “Hitler-loving youth” – I could not find that quote in any of the databases or online sources I checked. Yes, this is a work of fiction, but it is important to accurately portray a person of Humphrey’s stature. Brody, who is a professional speaker on ethics, did not cite his sources in the preview that I saw, leading to further questions about his descriptions of Humphrey’s musings and state of mind. Important events, like Kent State, were not even mentioned (although Humphrey had spoken on campus). And, while the story may be semi-autobiographical, Ray was very self-centered and not that well developed. The work that Humphrey did to improve quality of life for Minnesotans and Americans is inspiring (and we could all do with some inspirational leadership from politicians these days); reading a biography (even one intended for young people) would be my recommendation instead of this novel.

THE WOMAN AT THE WHEEL by Penny Haw (The Invincible Miss Cust) offers insight on a fascinating, but little-known historical figure: Bertha Benz, business partner and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz. Haw describes Bertha’s childhood, courtship with Benz, and her subsequent contributions to his work. Unfortunately, the text seems rather repetitive. In part, that is justified because the pair were met by substantial skepticism and business set backs as they strove to develop their “motorwagen.” It must have required great faith and fortitude to persist in developing that first automobile and Haw stresses that. As she explains, “Bertha wanted to live a life of innovation and purpose in an era when women were expected to be grateful to do nothing more than keep house and raise children.” Together, Bertha and Carl eventually launched a company which employed hundreds of people and was the world’s leading automotive manufacturer. He praised her in his autobiography: “brave and courageous, she hoisted new sails of hope and support at a time when no one else believed in the dream.” Haw includes a Bibliography, Reading Group Guide, and a Conversation with the Author which centers on this extraordinary woman.  

The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn

THE DOOR-TO-DOOR BOOKSTORE by Carsten Henn was published internationally in 2020 and has been a best-seller which, as Booklist says, is a “charming story about the power of books and reading.” In this shorter novel, readers meet Carl Kollhoff who works delivering books in a small German town. The bookstore itself is in transition as the next generation is taking over and fails to appreciate the value that Carl brings. Throughout the story, readers meet a variety of customers and watch them evolve slowly. A favorite character is a nine-year-old little girl named Schascha who acts as a catalyst for much action, including Carl’s own growth and willingness to be more open. Overall, though, I felt little empathy for other characters and would recommend “curmudgeonly old man” stories like A Man Called Ove or the more recent The Lonely Hearts Book Club first.

Stateless by Elizabeth Wein

STATELESS is another excellent piece of historical fiction written by Elizabeth Wein; some of her other titles include Code Name Verity, Rose Under Fire, and Black Dove White Raven. She sets her latest novel in August 1937 where a dozen young adults are promoting peace by participating in an air race with separate legs between a variety of European cities like Salisbury, Brussels, Hamburg, Venice, and Paris. Initially, all of those characters (and their planes) need an introduction, but Wein swiftly concentrates the action around Stella North, who represents the UK, Tony Roberts, who represents France, and Sebastian Rainer, a Luftwaffe pilot flying for Germany. They have to learn to trust each other when another competitor disappears (possibly murdered) and it seems that someone involved with the race is now targeting them. The race itself moves the story along, of course, but there is much more exciting action and danger in this historically accurate mystery. Be sure to read the author’s note where Wein not only explains the title and some of her sources, but also draws parallels to today’s issues, especially the situation in Ukraine. STATELESS is highly recommended and received a starred review from School Library Journal.