Let me introduce you to Ruta Sepetys and how her books changed my life

Hey Friends! I hope that you're having an absolutely amazing Friday! It's been a chill day around the Prescott household, and so I thought that I'd blog about something I am SO BEYOND EXCITED ABOUT!

Last year, when we Prescott girls went on a trip to Boston, we found ourselves exploring a little oceanside town called Rockport! While there, I happened upon this tiny bookstore, that was really just one little room that had books lining all the walls. I have a hard time walking by a bookstore and not bringing something home with me, so I picked a book off the shelf, read the back, and then brought it home! I left it on my shelf for a little while and then decided to pick it up. And from that moment on, my world of reading was CHANGED! The book I picked up is called "Salt to The Sea" by Ruta Sepetys, and I can't recommend this book more!!! Drawing you into a hidden story within the context of WWII Ruta has a way of writing stories that seem to be lost in history that will open your eyes to the world in a brand new way. Not only are her characters gripping, and the pot lines heartwrenching, but her writing is incredible. The way that she tells stories will grip you and not let you go until you finish the book  - hence the reason why I've read most of her books in one sitting! (Genuinely, I'll sit down on the couch and not get up until I'm done with the book.)

She has a small-ish catalog of books, but I read all of them last year, and I highly recommend all of them! Especially if you're someone who is a fan of historical fiction or want something that will bring you a new perspective on parts of history that seem lost in time! Below I'm going to rank her books from my top favorite to least favorite, although I've given all of her books five stars, and share the description! My hope is that you'll go and pick them all up soon, and let me know which one you read first!! I promise that you won't regret picking them up!

1. "Salt to The Sea."

"While the Titanic and Lusitania are both well-documented disasters, the single greatest tragedy in maritime history is the little-known January 30, 1945 sinking in the Baltic Sea by a Soviet submarine of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner that was supposed to ferry wartime personnel and refugees to safety from the advancing Red Army. The ship was overcrowded with more than 10,500 passengers — the intended capacity was approximately 1,800 — and more than 9,000 people, including 5,000 children, lost their lives. Sepetys crafts four fictionalized but historically accurate voices to convey the real-life tragedy. Joana, a Lithuanian with nursing experience; Florian, a Prussian soldier fleeing the Nazis with stolen treasure; and Emilia, a Polish girl close to the end of her pregnancy, converge on their escape journeys as Russian troops advance; each will eventually meet Albert, a Nazi peon with delusions of grandeur, assigned to the Gustloff decks."

(This is the first book of her's that I read, and since then, I've recommended it to everyone I possibly can!)

2. "I Must Betray You."

"Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force. Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?"

(This book wrecked me and broke my heart for the people of Romania. It especially hit close to home since I left for Hungary a few weeks after I read it. Hungary borders Romania, and I could picture everything that I read about while living in Eastern Europe myself.)

3. "Between Shades of Gray"

"Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart."

(This book introduces you to a part of WWII that you never hear about. It is a beautiful and heartwrenching story - though, I don't recommend watching the movie. I am a bit scarred for life after watching it.)

4. "Fountains of Silence."

"Madrid, 1957. Under the fascist dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, Spain is hiding a dark secret. Meanwhile, tourists and foreign businessmen flood into Spain under the welcoming promise of sunshine and wine. Among them is eighteen-year-old Daniel Matheson, the son of an oil tycoon, who arrives in Madrid with his parents hoping to connect with the country of his mother's birth through the lens of his camera. Photography--and fate--introduce him to Ana, whose family's interweaving obstacles reveal the lingering grasp of the Spanish Civil War--as well as chilling definitions of fortune and fear. Daniel's photographs leave him with uncomfortable questions amidst shadows of danger. He is backed into a corner of difficult decisions to protect those he loves. Lives and hearts collide, revealing an incredibly dark side to the sunny Spanish city."

(This story kept me on my toes and spins you in circles that you never thought possible! I haven't re-read this one yet, but I'm excited to relive the plotline and be blindsided by the twists and turns again!)

5. "Out of The Easy."

"It's 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny."

(This is the only book of Sepetys that is based in America, and it truly is a book about making decisions and choosing to live a life that is different from those who have gone before you. I still gave it five stars even though it was on the bottom of my list when it comes to her books.)

As you can tell, I am obsessed with Ruta Sepetys and her writing. I hope that she writes a ton more books, and I will be reading them all!!! I hope that you choose to pick up one of them (or all of them), and I look forward to hearing what you think!

Much love, 

Sav