Thursday, February 25, 2021
Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson - first in a trilogy set in Revolutionary-era New York
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publication: Simon & Schuster, hardcover, 2008
Genre: Juvenile Historical Fiction
Setting: 18th-century New YorkDescription: Isabel (13) and her younger sister Ruth are slaves and orphans, having lost their mother a year earlier and their father, sold away from his family when Ruth was just a baby.
Monday, February 22, 2021
The English Wife by Adrienne Chinn – historical fiction that begins in WWII England and leads to isolated Newfoundland
Author: Adrienne Chinn
Publication: One More Chapter, trade paperback, 2020
Genre: Dual-timeline fiction
Setting: England and NewfoundlandDescription: This is a story of two sisters living in Norwich during World War II and their descendants. Ellie has always planned to marry her childhood friend George until she meets an outgoing Canadian soldier from Newfoundland. Her sister Dottie disapproves because she doesn’t want Ellie to move away and her father disapproves because George is not Catholic, but Tom persuades her to tie the knot before he gets sent overseas.
Friday, February 19, 2021
Chocolate Caramels for Anne Shirley
Wednesday, February 17, 2021
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
Author: Richard Osman
Publication: Viking, hardcover, 2020
Genre: Mystery
Setting: Present-day EnglandDescription: Four senior citizens at Coopers Chase, an upscale retirement community in England, meet on Thursdays to discuss unsolved police cases, and then they encounter a real murder . . .
Saturday, February 13, 2021
Be Mine
Wednesday, February 10, 2021
Run Away Home by Elinor Lyon - an orphan not in possession of a fortune, must be in want of a family
Author: Elinor Lyon
Publication: Fidra Books, 2007 (originally published in 1953 by Hodder and Stoughton)
Genre: Children’s fiction
Setting: 1950s Scotland
Saturday, February 6, 2021
Six Degrees of Separation - from Redhead By the Side of the Road to The Face on the Milk Carton
It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place as other readers, add six books, and see where you end up. This month’s starting point is Redhead By the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler. I have read one or two of Tyler’s books but not this one; however, it did start me thinking about redheaded protagonists. Anne Shirley may be the most famous but I realized I had read about many others . . .
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To the Tiger in the Zoo, Madeline just said "Pooh, Pooh!" |
Wednesday, February 3, 2021
WWW Wednesday
WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
Right now I am reading Secret Places by Janice Elliott (1981), set during World War II, in which teenage Patience Mackenzie befriends Laura Meister, a refugee from Germany, who joins her girls' day school in England. There is also a movie with Jenny Agutter in the cast; here is the beginning.
Monday, February 1, 2021
The Proper Place by O. Douglas
Author: O. Douglas aka Anna Buchan
Publication: Kindle, originally published 1926
Genre: Fiction
Setting: 1920s ScotlandDescription: The Rutherfurds were an energetic and happy family not long ago: Sir Walter, a pillar of the neighborhood; his quiet but much-admired wife, Lady Jane; two splendid sons; daughter Nicole; and niece Barbara Burt, who has been part of the family since childhood. However, Nicole’s brothers were killed in the war, and Sir Walter took their loss badly, faded away and died three months ago. There is no longer enough money to support the ancestral estate so the lawyer has persuaded Lady Jane to sell and move somewhere smaller and more manageable. As the story begins, the wife of a self-made prosperous businessman from Glasgow has come to inspect Rutherfurd with the idea of acquiring a country estate. Mrs. Jackson is sure her husband will like it, and she is charmed by 24-year-old Nicole’s tour and friendly demeanor.
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Five Things, including RIP to Sharon Kay Penman
* So sorry to hear of the death on January 22 of Sharon Kay Penman, one of my favorite historical fiction novelists.
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
Backwater War by Peggy Woodford - WWII in the Channel Islands
Author: Peggy Woodford
Publication: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, hardcover, 1974
Genre: Juvenile Historical Fiction
Setting: Guernsey, Channel Islands, World War IIDescription: German forces have occupied Guernsey, appropriating food and resources from the islanders who are British subjects. Anna Hardy’s younger brother has been evacuated with most of the Island children but at 17 Anna refused to go, feeling she could not run away. When the Germans requisition the Hardys’ house, Anna and her parents have just a few hours to pack clothing, food, and valuables and take refuge with a difficult aunt five miles away.
Friday, January 22, 2021
Long Bright River by Liz Moore – a dark mystery about twisted sisters
Author: Liz Moore
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
WWW Wednesday: January 20
WWW Wednesday is hosted by Taking on a World of Words.
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
My book group decided to read a book by John LeCarré (1931-2020) for our January meeting after several members expressed sorrow at his passing and enthusiasm for his body of work. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was chosen as both one of his best and one that would work as a standalone for those unfamiliar with him. Normally, I like suspense and espionage fiction but I found this tedious and had not finished tonight when we met so I am still reading it.
Saturday, January 16, 2021
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid: when a grocery store visit goes viral - and why
Author: Kiley Reid
Publication: Putnam, hardcover, 2019
Genre: FictionDescription: Nothing has gone exactly as planned since Alix and Peter Chamberlain moved to Philadelphia from Manhattan. Peter does have a great job as a TV anchor but he misspoke on live TV, offending and angering some of his viewers. Alix is worried her career and brand will suffer from being away from New York. However, she is pleased with Emira, the recent Temple grad, who has been babysitting the two little Chamberlain girls, which enables Alix to get work done. Late one night, during a crisis, she calls Emira and asks if she can distract Briar, the precocious toddler, by taking her out to a nearby gourmet food store.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Favorite Reads of 2020
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Simon by Rosemary Sutcliff - a new-to-me and absorbing historical novel
Thursday, January 7, 2021
Betrayal at Ravenswick: A Fiona Figg mystery by Kelly Oliver
Author: Kelly Oliver
Publication: Historia, 2020, Trade Paper
Genre: Historical Fiction
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Marsha On-Stage by Amelia Elizabeth Walden
Author: Amelia Elizabeth Walden
Publication: William Morrow & Company, hardcover, 1952
Genre: YA fiction Description: Lovely Marsha Blake, a senior at New Sharon High School in Connecticut, has always been acknowledged as the star of a talented drama department, led by Mrs. Graham, who studied at the American Academy (like Walden herself). For years, Marsha and her older brother Ricky, now at college, had hoped to launch their own production at the local community theater, which closed ten years ago.
Saturday, January 2, 2021
Six Degrees of Separation - from Hamnet to Something's Rotten in the State of Maryland
It’s time for #6degrees, inspired by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. We all start at the same place as other readers, add six books, and see where we end up. This month’s starting point is Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, a book about Shakespeare's son that has been widely recognized as one of the best books of 2020. I decided to buy it for my sister for Christmas and called the bookstore to ask them to hold it for me (“You want the book with the feather on the cover?” asked the guy on the phone dubiously). There wasn’t time to finish it before I had to mail it to New York (and it still didn’t get there for Christmas – boo!) but I liked what I read and am now on the reserve list at the library.