Wartime stories and recollections with Aura Libraries

November is traditionally the time we come together to remember, pay tribute and acknowledge those that have served our community and the sacrifices they made. Here are some of our favourite new wartime stories and recollections...

Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown

• Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown: The debut novel from global star Millie Bobby Brown, inspired by a true event in her family's history. Love blooms in the darkest days... London, 1942. Despite the raging war, spirited 18-year-old Nellie Morris lives a quiet life in the tight-knit East End community of Bethnal Green. Her family and friends all tease that she will marry air raid warden Billy, the boy next door who's always been sweet on her. The arrival of Ray, a handsome American airman stationed nearby, causes Nellie to question everything she thought she knew about her future.

Nellie's new-found happiness is short-lived when a tragic accident occurs during an air raid. Even the closest family can't escape the devastation of war, and as the secrets and truth about that fateful night become clear, they threaten to tear Nellie - and those dearest to her - apart.

The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin by Brad Meltzer

• The Nazi Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin by Brad Meltzer: The little-known true story of a Nazi plot to kill Franklin D Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill at the height of the Second World War. In 1943, as the war against Nazi Germany raged abroad, Roosevelt had a critical goal: a face-to-face sit-down with his allies Stalin and Churchill. This meeting of the Big Three in Tehran would decide some of the most crucial strategic details of the war. Yet when the Nazis found out about the meeting, their own plan took shape - the assassination of all three leaders. A true story filled with daring rescues, body doubles and political intrigue, The Nazi Conspiracy details the pivotal meeting and the plot which could have changed the course of history.

Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris

• Sisters Under the Rising Sun by Heather Morris: In the midst of the Second World War, an English musician, Norah Chambers, places her eight-year-old daughter Sally on a ship leaving Singapore, desperate to keep her safe from the Japanese army as they move down through the Pacific. Norah remains to care for her husband and elderly parents, knowing she may never see her child again. Sister Nesta James, a Welsh Australian nurse, has enlisted to tend to Allied troops. But as Singapore falls to the Japanese she joins the terrified cargo of people, including the heartbroken Norah, crammed aboard the Vyner Brooke merchant ship. Only two days later, they are bombarded from the air off the coast of Indonesia, and in a matter of hours, the Vyner Brooke lies broken on the seabed. After surviving a brutal 24 hours in the sea, Nesta and Norah reach the beaches of a remote island, only to be captured by the Japanese and held in one of their notorious POW camps. This novel is based on a true story.

The Girl Who Survived Auschwitz by Sara Leibovits

• The Girl Who Survived Auschwitz by Sara Leibovits: Poland, 1944. The train slowed and halted with a squeal of the brakes. It felt like we waited in the carriage for an eternity, but eventually, the heavy doors opened, directly into the chaos outside. Sara Leibovits, a 16-year-old Jewish girl, was a passenger on the train, together with her family. Within minutes, their horrific fate was sealed. The little family spent their final minutes together on the platform at Auschwitz before they were ordered in all directions and each left to their own fate. Sara's mother and baby brothers were sent to their deaths. Her father was made a Sonderkommando, one of the men forced to remove the bodies from the gas chambers, and was later executed. This is the powerful true story of Sara Leibovits and the incredible pain and hardships she went through during her time in the Death Camp.

Time's Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance by Jeremy Eichler

• Time's Echo: The Second World War, the Holocaust, and the Music of Remembrance by Jeremy Eichler: When it comes to how societies commemorate their own distant dreams and catastrophes, we often think of books, archives, or memorials carved from stone. But in Time's Echo, Jeremy Eichler makes a revelatory case for the power of music as culture's memory, an art form uniquely capable of carrying forward meaning from the past.Eichler shows how four towering composers - Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich - lived through the era of the Second World War and the Holocaust and later transformed their experiences into deeply moving works of music, scores that carry forward the echoes of lost time. A lyrical narrative full of insight and compassion, this book deepens how we think about the legacies of war, the presence of the past, and the profound possibilities of art in our lives today.

These titles are, available to borrow from the library or to download as eBook and listen to the audiobook for free from Borrowbox.

Let us know what you think about the titles, find us on social media - @LlyfrgelloeddAuraLibraries on Facebook and Instagram and @LibFlintshire on Twitter.

Sharing your memories with Aura

Reflecting on our own individual experiences and personal memories has proven beneficial effects and improves our quality of life. Sharing memories improves our self-esteem, decreases stress, gives us a heightened sense of wellbeing and feelings of joy.

Did you know that Aura Libraries provide opportunities for you to connect with others through our regular activities and events? Join in our wide range of free social groups such as Craft and Chat, jigsaw clubs and Sporting Memories

Sporting Memories - Do you, or someone you know, loves talking about or sharing memories of sporting moments, greatest sporting champions, events or sporting disasters? Sporting Memories sessions are designed to get conversation flowing, help re-live positive memories and provide fun, a quiz and social interaction. At Sporting Memories clubs, everyone finds fun, friendship and increased wellbeing. The sessions are run weekly on Wednesday from 10.30am at Flint Library and Monday from 2.30pm at Holywell Library.

We would love for you to join us. For further information contact Flint Library 01352 703737 or Holywell Library 01352 703850.

Who Do You Think You Are?

At any Aura Library, you can discover your family history, trace your ancestry and build a family tree with free access to Ancestry UK and Find My Past. We also run family history sessions.

To find out more ask at your local library, call us on 01352 704400, or email us: libraries@aura.wales

• Aura is a charitable, not-for-profit, organisation responsible for managing the majority of leisure, libraries and heritage services in Flintshire. Aura is owned by its employees and operates for the benefit of local communities.