{"id":59048,"date":"2026-01-02T06:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T12:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/?p=59048"},"modified":"2025-12-29T14:22:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T20:22:05","slug":"online-reading-challenge-january-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.davenportlibrary.com\/reference\/online-reading-challenge-january-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Online Reading Challenge – January"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Welcome Readers!<\/p>\n

New year means new reading challenge! I\u2019m so excited to tell you that the theme for the 2026 Online Reading Challenge is \u2026 KNOW YOUR HISTORY! Each month we will be reading about a different observance month (think Black History Month, for example) and highlighting a main title about that month. I will pick a main title for us to read together if you would like, but feel free to read anything about that observance month! I can\u2019t wait to start reading with you all.<\/p>\n

For January, we will be reading books that commemorate the victims and honor the survivors of the Holocaust as January 27th is International Holocaust Remembrance Day.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Our main title for January is Our Darkest Night <\/em><\/strong><\/a>by Jennifer Robson.\u00a0Here\u2019s a quick summary from the publisher:<\/p>\n

To survive the Holocaust, a young Jewish woman must pose as a Christian farmer\u2019s wife in this unforgettable novel from USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Robson\u2014a story of terror, hope, love, and sacrifice, inspired by true events, that vividly evokes the most perilous days of World War II.<\/em><\/p>\n

It is the autumn of 1943, and life is becoming increasingly perilous for Italian Jews like the Mazin family. With Nazi Germany now occupying most of her beloved homeland, and the threat of imprisonment and deportation growing ever more certain, Antonina Mazin has but one hope to survive\u2014to leave Venice and her beloved parents and hide in the countryside with a man she has only just met.<\/em><\/p>\n

Nico Gerardi was studying for the priesthood until circumstances forced him to leave the seminary to run his family\u2019s farm. A moral and just man, he could not stand by when the fascists and Nazis began taking innocent lives. Rather than risk a perilous escape across the mountains, Nina will pose as his new bride. And to keep her safe and protect secrets of his own, Nico and Nina must convince prying eyes they are happily married and in love.<\/em><\/p>\n

But farm life is not easy for a cultured city girl who dreams of becoming a doctor like her father, and Nico\u2019s provincial neighbors are wary of this soft and educated woman they do not know. Even worse, their distrust is shared by a local Nazi official with a vendetta against Nico. The more he learns of Nina, the more his suspicions grow\u2014and with them his determination to exact revenge.<\/em><\/p>\n

As Nina and Nico come to know each other, their feelings deepen, transforming their relationship into much more than a charade. Yet both fear that every passing day brings them closer to being torn apart . . .<\/em> – William Morrow Paperbacks<\/p>\n

Looking for some other books that commemorate the victims and honor the survivors of the Holocaust? Try any of the following.<\/p>\n