Community Read: A Woman of No Importance

The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers An instant international bestseller! A People magazine Best Book of Fall! A New York Post Book of the Week! Before she mastered the art of French cooking in midlife, Julia Child found herself working in the secrets trade in Asia during World War II, a journey that will delight both historical fiction fans and lovers of America's most beloved chef, revealing how the war made her into the icon we know now. Single, 6 foot 2, and thirty years old, Julia McWilliams took a job working for America's first espionage agency, years before cooking or Paris entered the picture. The Secret War of Julia Child traces Julia's transformation from ambitious Pasadena blue blood to Washington, DC file clerk, to head of General "Wild Bill" Donovan's secret File Registry as part of the Office of Strategic Services. The wartime journey takes her to South Asia's remote front lines of then-Ceylon, India, and China, where she finds purpose, adventure, self-knowledge - and love with mapmaker Paul Child. The spotlight has rarely shone on this fascinating period of time in the life of ("I'm not a spy") Julia Child, and this lyrical story allows us to explore the unlikely world of a woman in a World War II spy station who has no idea of the impact she'll eventually impart.

Code Name: Helene by Ariel Lawhon February 29, 1944: I am about to jump out of an aeroplane for the first time ... I don't care that every man is looking at me as though I don't belong. Besides, I'm hungover. And I think I might throw up ... In 1936 intrepid young Australian journalist Nancy Wake is living in Paris after witnessing firsthand the terror of Hitler's rise in Europe, firing her resolve to fight against the Nazis. When Nancy falls in love with handsome French industrialist Henri Fiocca, no sooner has she become Mrs Fiocca than the Germans invade France and Nancy takes yet another name, a codename - the first of many. As the elusive Lucienne Carlier she smuggles people across borders and earns a new name 'The White Mouse' along with a five million franc bounty on her head, courtesy of the Gestapo. Forced to flee France, Nancy is trained by an elite espionage group under the codename Helene.

The Paris Agent by Kelly Rimmer Twenty-five years after the end of the war, ageing British SOE operative Noah Ainsworth can't stop thinking about the secret agent who saved his life in occupied France. He never knew her real name, nor whether she survived the war. His daughter Charlotte begins a search for answers and discovers the story of Fleur and Chloe: two women called up by the SOE for deployment in France in 1943. But little do they know that they're at the mercy of a double agent within their ranks who is wreaking chaos. As Charlotte's search for answers continues, unsettling clues about the identity of the double agent come to light - and more shocking events are unearthed from the dangerous, dramatic last days of the war that lead to Chloe and Fleur's eventual fates.

Sisters of Night and Fog by Erika Robuck Set across the European theatre of WWII, Sisters of Night and Fog tells the story of two women whose clandestine deeds come to a staggering halt when they are brought together at Ravensbruck concentration camp. A striking reminder of how deeply we are all connected, which forces us to ask, 'Could I have done what they did?'

The Spark of Resisitance: Women Spies in World War II by Kit Sergeant As the free world crumbles beneath Hitler’s jackboot, the French Resistance is depending on these women to change the course of history... Paris, 1941: Mathilde Carré has always dreamed of glory. When the handsome Armand invites her to become his second-in-command of his Resistance network, she jumps at the chance. But when Armand falls for another woman, how far is Mathilde willing to go to exact her revenge? When Odette Sansom , a married mother of three, is recruited to become a spy with British Intelligence, she reluctantly accepts, knowing that she might never see her family again. Living a life in shadows with a false identity, Odette experiences more freedom in Occupied France than she has ever known, and her circuit leader, Peter Churchill, is everything her husband isn’t. But one man threatens to destroy all they’ve achieved... Didi Nearne has always lived in the shadow of her sister, Jackie. Although she dreams of becoming a British agent like her sister, they hire her as a wireless operator instead. As the networks are infiltrated and the on-the-ground agents disappear, Didi is finally given her chance. Will she be able to avoid the Gestapo or suffer the fates of her fellow spies?

Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells One of PopSugar's Best Books of June! Two sisters join the Paris Resistance in this page-turning new novel inspired by the real-life bravery of Catherine Dior, sister of the fashion designer and a heroine of World War II France--perfect for fans of Kate Quinn and Jennifer Chiaverini. "As dazzling as a Dior gown! With a gorgeous blend of fashion, heartbreak, heroism, and love this book will transport you to France..." --Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Secret Paris, 1944: The war is nearly over, but for members of the Resistance in occupied France, it is more dangerous than ever before. Twenty-five-year-old Gabby Foucher loathes the Nazis, though as the concierge of 10 rue Royale, she does her best to avoid conflict--unlike her bolder sister Yvette, who finds trouble at every turn.  Then they are both recruited into the Resistance by Catherine Dior and swept into a treacherous world of spies, fugitives, and intrigue. While Gabby risks everything for the man she is hiding from the Nazis, Yvette must decide whether to trust an enigmatic diplomat who seems to have guessed her secret. As the threat of betrayal draws ever-closer, one slip could mean the deaths of many, and both sisters must make choices they might regret.  Paris, 1947: Yvette returns from New York to reunite with Gabby and begin life anew as a mannequin for Dior, who is revolutionizing fashion with the New Look. But first she must discover the truth behind Catherine's terrible fate, while Gabby finds that there are many kinds of courage, and that love is always worth fighting for.