Discover the first line from
The Collector of Burned Books
About The Collector of Burned Books
In this gripping World War II historical about the power of words, two people form an unlikely friendship amid the Nazi occupation in Paris and fight to preserve the truth that enemies of freedom long to destroy.
Paris, 1940. Ever since the Nazi Party began burning books, German writers exiled for their opinions or heritage have been taking up residence in Paris. There they opened a library meant to celebrate the freedom of ideas and gathered every book on the banned list . . . and even incognito versions of the forbidden books that were smuggled back into Germany.
For the last six years, Corinne Bastien has been reading those books and making that library a second home. But when the German army takes possession of Paris, she loses access to the library and all the secrets she’d hidden there. Secrets the Allies will need if they have any hope of liberating the city she calls home.
Christian Bauer may be German, but he never wanted anything to do with the Nazi Party?he is a professor, one who’s done his best to protect his family as well as the books that were a threat to Nazi ideals. But when Goebbels sends him to Paris to handle the “relocation” of France’s libraries, he’s forced into an army uniform and given a rank he doesn’t want. In Paris, he tries to protect whoever and whatever he can from the madness of the Party and preserve the ideas that Germans will need again when that madness is over, and maybe find a lost piece of his heart.
First Line
10 MAY 1933 ~ THE OPERNPLATZ, BERLIN, GERMANY
They meant the fire to blaze, to consume, to crackle its way into the night with a ferocity to match their beliefs.
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This one is on my TBR. It sounds so good!
Yay! I hope you’ll enjoy it!
I really need to read more historical fiction. Here is my first line friday: https://bibliophilebree.blogspot.com/2025/07/first-line-friday-meme.html
It’s one of my favorite genres!
I am reading, The Maid, by Nita Prose.
The first couple of lines are, “I am your maid. I’m the one who cleans your room, who enters like a phantom when you’re out gallivanting for the day, no care at all about what you’ve left behind, the mess, or what I might see when you’re gone.”
That’s a powerful opening!
In the past two weeks, Paige Addison had listened to her twin sister’s voicemail message enough times to memorize it. Dangerous Mountain Threat (ARC) by Rebecca Hopewell.
That sounds intriguing!
Oh my goodness! I have wanted to read this since I first heard Rosanna talk about it. I’m my church’s librarian and I know that the pre-order of this is sitting on my processing shelf. Can’t wait to grab it on Sunday. I feel like the librarian should read stuff before they add it to the collection, don’t you?
Me too!! And yes, that seems especially applicable in this particularly situation ;D