Kathleen Baldwin's 3 favorite reads in 2023

I loved this book! It was a fascinating account of a young Russian woman bravely rising above extremely challenging circumstances to become an extraordinary hero—and even better—it is based on a true story.

Mila became a renowned sniper, with a remarkable record number of kills during WWII. Later, she even met with and became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt.

I search for and collect stories like this, stories about ordinary women accomplishing extraordinary feats. Considering the difficulties I face in life, and they are many, they pale compared to what she was up against. And like Mila, some days I must simply calm myself and focus on the task at hand.

There is a quote I especially liked, “I reminded myself that you must do the thing you think you cannot do,” she said simply. “Always. And generally you find out you can do it, after all.”

I need quotes like that in my life. Novels like The Diamond Eye inspire me and encourage me to press forward and accomplish more!

Here’s an irony—I am not, repeat not, a horror fan. And yet, Dean Koontz is one of my all-time favorite authors. Why? Because no one writes the contrast between good and evil as masterfully as Dean Koontz.

He juxtapositions darkness against light, grace against cruelty so beautifully that he won my heart years ago with Out of the Corner of His Eye. In fact I still use a passage from that book while teaching my writing workshops.

Now, after reading Breathless I am once again enthralled. Admittedly, I would like someone to have edited the book better so that the logic in all the storylines would conclude more aptly. That said... It amazes me how skillfully Koontz weaves multiple storylines together!?! What talent! Hang on—that's not the best part.

Here's why I love this book. If you can handle the psychological evil and ugly darkness which is grizzly and extreme, (more than once, I had to put it down and take a walk,) the counterbalancing inspiration in this story made an unforgettable impression on my soul. Koontz demonstrated intense darkness and evil against incredibly captivating light and love.

How can I not want to hug this book? And then there are the quotes. Wow!

Koontz penned lines I will treasure forever. I actually hung this one on my quote wall:

“Never fear the future. Whatever happens, the future is the only way back.”

“Back to what?” (the protagonist asks)

“Back to where we belong forever,” said Riddle.

“The future is the one path out of time into eternity.”

Mic drop.

This book was a preordered auto-buy for me. Why? First off, I’m crazy about spy stories—pair it with a sweet historical romantic suspense and ding-ding-ding! Sold! It becomes a must-read. Big surprise, right? Since that’s what I write. LOL.

Cornered is a WWII romantic suspense mixed with the added bonus of medical intrigue and a heroine with some serious gumption. So, yay, it hit several of my all-time favorite fictional plot elements. And bonus, it’s from one of my favorite authors. I'm a big fan of Ms. Ferrell's Neptune Five series, and this one is a keeper. I love the way this author incorporates realistic medical scenarios seamlessly into her suspense stories.

Not only that, but in this book, there was some way cool history that I didn't know about. I had no idea that in World War II there were fronts even in Morocco. Ferrell sails her homespun, down-to-earth, American crew all the way to foreign soil and yet still includes medical aspects in the story.

Plus, there's a battle scene that was so well written I felt I was there in the fight. Ludlum fans would be pleased!!