
Loved this Middle Grade book. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to Margaret. So happy to see a second book in the works. As a baby Margaret, now 11 years old, was found on the church steps, and the promise of 52 gold coins a year. Now the money has stopped and as an orphan, Margaret is sent to an abominable orphanage where she meets siblings Lavinia, Peter and Horatio. And the adventure begins to escape the orphanage and find a new home! A lovely ending for the siblings and Margaret, but find out for yourself.

So interesting! Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon are names associated with the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, but Lady Evelyn, daughter of Carnarvon played a very important role. Eve was most likely the first person to enter the tomb in three thousand years and worked closely beside Carter and her father. Fascinating!
Not just another WWII novel! Riviera House is based on the French pariots who moved the Louvre art collection at the outset of the war and later catalogued the art seized by the Nazis from the French Jews arrested and sent to prison camps so that one day in the future these pieces could be restored to their rightful owners.

Absolutely loved this latest from Kristin Harmel. With so many WWII books on the shelves, always new pieces of history to explore. Everyday people fleeing into the surrounding forests, disappearing and managing to hunt, fish and forage food, build shelter and hide from the Germans hunting them.

Loved this latest from Chris Bohjalian! Loved it! Set in Puritan Boston in the 1600’s, Hour of the Witch portrays a society that we in 2021 would deem disturbing, devastating, cruel. I kept comparing Hour to a Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale. Historical fiction vs. dystopian. Powerful, thought provoking, unforgettable!

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Great summer beach read!

Kate Quinn scores another ten! The Rose Code steps inside Bletchley with fascinating details of the laborious task of codebreaking, great characters with interesting personal stories all set in turbulent, dangerous times England suffered during WWII. Excellent!

A murder in Windsor Castle and the Queen, yes, that Queen, diligently works behind the scene to bring the murderer to light! Fun read!

Finn and his friends battle alien 6 foot locusts invading Earth from the other side of the galaxy through a wormhole. Great themes of friendship, seeing beyond bully’s actions, lies vs. truth.

Historical fiction at its best explores a time and place hidden from history books and newspapers, the personal and private stories of ordinary people in extraordinary times. Set in Boston and Paris, WWI, Emma uses her artistic gifts to reshape, literally and figuratively, the faces of men, faces forever disfigured by war. Who knew the art of sculpting and painting of metal masks even exited?

Very enjoyable! Family drama, sisters’ relationship, women’s choices set in the political world of DC.

Wow! One of my favorite reads this year! The characters vividly came to life against the backdrop of the Texas Panhandle Dust Bowl skies and the deplorable conditions of the pickers camps in California! Great read!

Second in this trilogy, What Happens In Paeadise brings Irene and her sons back to St. John to live permanently. New jobs and romances, gentle winds and blue ocean, secrets and misunderstandings are the backdrop. Waiting anxiously for the third book to conclude the story.

Katharine Wright, beloved sister and fervent supporter of Wilbur and Orville Wright, suffragette, feminist, aspiring teacher, becomes Orville’s caretaker and support after the death of Wilbur. Katharine marries a mutual friend, and Orville becomes more and more reclusive finally cutting Katharine out of his life. A lovely historical novel, the letters to Orville and musings of a sister who endeavors to close the ever widening gap between the siblings.

A idyllic but remote estate with no outside communication where Nina and her daughter, a six year old with medical issues reside. Emily, an out of work actress, hired as housekeeper, nanny, and whatever else needs doing. But all is not as it seems. Dark secrets will surface. Well done!

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Historical fiction, romantic love stories at its best. A period of Venetian history I was unfamiliar with. A bookseller’s palimpsest restoration project. Engaging read!

Summer beach read! Summer of 1938, the social season is in full swing in a newly-discovered vacation spot of the rich and famous: Montauk. The gossip flows, a marriage falls apart, and a handsome light-housekeeper arrives for the hurricane of 1938.

What wisdom does one impart to the generation that follows, or the next one after that? The subtitle, A grandparent’s wisdom for a happy life, says it all. And the chapters, Know Thyself, Never Stop Learning, To Love is to Live...lessons and musings and remembrances. Love this! Perfect gift for Grandparents Day!

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Take me away to Nantucket! Best friends from preschool, aspiring writers, grow up on this beautiful island. Through high school angst, off-island college, following dreams . . . and love and boys and love!

A mystery most satisfying set in the remote Sahyadri Mountains of India. Sudden deaths, royal families, romance, and a gorgeous landscape! What more could you ask for?

I love Phaedra Potrick, and this is her third book! Marta Stores' life is dedicated to the local library and helping others -- always volunteering. Then, a book mysteriously left for her at the library opens up a whoe new world of adventure, love, and the discovery of long lost family.

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Exactly what the title suggests, two 10 year old girls time travel back 30 years with the help of an old clock found in a crooked house. Whom they meet up with and how their journey helps avoid an ecological problem saves they town!

Another winner from a favorite writer! Loved the characters and location, St. John. I am inspired to book a vacation! Please tell me the second in the series will be published soon!

Calling all readers intrigued by the myths and stories of the gods and goddesses of Ancient Greece. Frye recalls the trials and triumphs the Olympians and their dealings with mere mortals.
Loved this book! Shaker Heights, Ohio is a beautiful, perfectly ordered community where everyone follows the rules and gets along...or do they? Mia and her teenage daughter rent an apartment owned by Elena Richardson and become involved with the four Richardson teenagers. Superb writing gently eases the reader into perect life of the Richardson family, with the one exception, daughter Izzy, and then exposes their thoughts, hidden secrets and vulnerabilities. A book most satisfying!

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Martha (Marty) Gellhorn, novelist and one of the Great War correspondents of the 20th century began her career at the side of Ernest Hemingway during the Spanish Civil War. From there, they pursued, both together and separately, war stories on the many fronts of the European continent. A passionate and stormy romance ensued, four years while Ernest was still married, and then a marriage that lasted just over four years. Both being wildly independent and competitive created conflicts in their marriage. Marty left. For 60 years she reported on conflicts around the world, from Europe to the Middle East, Vietnam to Central America. Failing eyesight in the 1990’s forced her to retire and she died in 1998 at the age of 89.