My favorite books about World War II you can't put down

Why am I passionate about this?

I grew up during the war years and remembered the backouts, ration cards, and the newscasts from the front and worrying about my cousins who were in the middle of it. My cousin Gerald always made sure I had a model airplane kit every Christmas, even though he was fighting in Europe. As a journalist, I was lucky to work with a few war correspondents that covered Dieppe and D-Day and heard what they went through. One of those people was Bill Anderson who died two years ago. I recorded a video interview of him when he was still 97 about his experiences in Canada and Europe


I wrote...

Forget-Me-Nots

By Jim Carr,

Book cover of Forget-Me-Nots

What is my book about?

When Grete and her husband emigrated to Canada in 1919, it was to get away from war forever. But it turned out to be a nightmare any mother had to face. With one son in Hitler’s Army and the other in the Canadian Army, listening to the radio news was a constant nightmare. Her only hope was that they would look after each other. Rhinehart became a major in the SS, and Karl, an officer in Canadian Intelligence.

The Forget-Me-Nots in her backyard was a connection to Rhinehart, who always plucked a bouquet of For-get-Me-Nots for her. And when he was wounded saving his brother, a connection that would stay with her forever.

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Double-Cross System

Jim Carr Why did I love this book?

Operation Mincemeat and The Man Who Never Was were just the tip of an elaborate double-cross system by the British during the Second World War. It consisted of an elaborate group of English spies operating at German agents in England and beyond, feeding false information to the Germans and gaining access to the codes and cypher work of the German Secret Service. Their work was responsible for deceiving Hitler and the German army into believing that the D-Day landings would take place at the Pas de Calais. I love just about every book I read about World War II and this was one of the best. You’ll be surprised as I was about how important their activities were.

By J C Masterman,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Double-Cross System as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

We sell Rare, out-of-print, uncommon, & used BOOKS, PRINTS, MAPS, DOCUMENTS, AND EPHEMERA. We do not sell ebooks, print on demand, or other reproduced materials. Each item you see here is individually described and imaged. We welcome further inquiries.


Book cover of A Man Called Intrepid

Jim Carr Why did I love this book?

I bought this book at an airport. I started reading it as soon as I entered the plane and found it so interesting that I was sorry that the plane had landed. It was the revelations about the war we never knew. For example, William Stephenson and William J. Donovan were credited by Churchill and Roosevelt with delaying the German invasion of Russia. A Man Called Intrepid is a detailed account of Allied Intelligence Operations during the Second World War. Very intriguing was a reference to German interest in Pearl Harbour and its harbour prior to the Japanese raid. Stephenson also played an active role at the Camp X spy school, near Toronto and while acting as a double agent.

By William Stevenson,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked A Man Called Intrepid as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A classic about real-life WWII espionage, as conducted by its modern master * A Man Called Intrepid is the classic true story of Sir William Stephenson (codenamed Intrepid) and the spy network he founded that would ultimately stall the Nazi war machine and help win World War II. Ian Fleming, bestselling author of the James Bond novels, once remarked, "James Bond is a highly romanticized version of a true spy. The real thing is William Stephenson." Illustrated with thirty-two pages of black-and-white photographs, this book describes the infamous "Camp X" spy training center in Ontario, Canada; the breaking of the…


Book cover of Inside the Third Reich

Jim Carr Why did I love this book?

"I am by nature hardworking but I always needed a special impulse,” observed Albert Speer, Hitler’s architect, in his memoir about his early life and his days as one of Hitler’s ministers. The impulse led him to write his memories in which he provides portraits of Hitler, Goering, and Gobbles. His accounts are far from flattering and his behind scenes activities in Berlin make for great reading. The book comes with several pictures of Speer with Hitler and other prominent Nazis and his account of Hitler during his last days stay with you for a long time. I was always intrigued about the other side and this book provides an insider’s look at the people involved.

By Albert Speer,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Inside the Third Reich as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Synopsis coming soon.......


Book cover of The Sixth of June

Jim Carr Why did I love this book?

Shapiro, a Canadian war correspondent, landed with the troops on the beaches on D-Day and his other experiences rise to the surface in his novel about life during the blitz and the events leading up to D-Day. Shapiro always considered his a historical novel. His descriptions are those of someone who lived the tale. The hero is a U.S. soldier who found himself deeply in love with an English woman. This book came out a few years after the war when the war was fresh in our minds. It was like reliving those wonderful days all over again.

By Lionel Shapiro,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Sixth of June as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Sixth of June tells the story of American soldier Brad Parker, who joins the U.S. Army to fight in World War II. When he arrives in London, he meets lonely Valerie Russell, and they fall in love despite their loyalties to wife and future husband. Although they are certain that their love could overcome every obstacle, everything changes after the Normandy Invasion.


Book cover of The Key to Rebecca

Jim Carr Why did I love this book?

The war in Africa, where Rommel’s tanks seem unstoppable, sets the stage for this novel of intrigue and spies, with Egypt and The Suez Canal the prize. Follett is a master of suspense and he makes great use of it here as two secret agents lock horns. The German agent with a wonderfully appropriate name, The Spinx, enlists the wiles of a belly dancer and the British agent, seeks the help of a beautiful young Jewish woman, who plays a key role in unmasking the German agent and the final defeat of Rommel. I always love reading Follett. You’re never sure what.

By Ken Follett,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Key to Rebecca as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Ken Follett's The Key to Rebecca took readers and critics by storm when first published forty years ago. Today, it remains one of the best espionage novels ever written.

A brilliant and ruthless Nazi master agent is on the loose in Cairo. His mission is to send Rommel's advancing army the secrets that will unlock the city's doors. In all of Cairo, only two people can stop him. One is a down-on-his-luck English officer no one will listen to. The other is a vulnerable young Jewish girl. . . .


You might also like...

Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

By Gabrielle Robinson,

Book cover of Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

Gabrielle Robinson Author Of Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Retired english professor

Gabrielle's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Gabrielle found her grandfather’s diaries after her mother’s death, only to discover that he had been a Nazi. Born in Berlin in 1942, she and her mother fled the city in 1945, but Api, the one surviving male member of her family, stayed behind to work as a doctor in a city 90% destroyed.

Gabrielle retraces Api’s steps in the Berlin of the 21st century, torn between her love for the man who gave her the happiest years of her childhood and trying to come to terms with his Nazi membership, German guilt, and political responsibility.

Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

By Gabrielle Robinson,

What is this book about?

"This is not a book I will forget any time soon."
Story Circle Book Reviews

Moving and provocative, Api's Berlin Diaries offers a personal perspective on the fall of Berlin 1945 and the far-reaching aftershocks of the Third Reich.

After her mother's death, Robinson was thrilled to find her beloved grandfather's war diaries-only to discover that he had been a Nazi.

The award-winning memoir shows Api, a doctor in Berlin, desperately trying to help the wounded in cellars without water or light. He himself was reduced to anxiety and despair, the daily diary his main refuge. As Robinson retraces Api's…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Germany, intelligence agency, and the Normandy landings?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about Germany, intelligence agency, and the Normandy landings.

Germany Explore 466 books about Germany
Intelligence Agency Explore 119 books about intelligence agency
The Normandy Landings Explore 29 books about the Normandy landings