Lynda recommends

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Thursday's Child By Noel Streatfeild Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780008244057
Availability: Available to Order
Published: HarperCollins Children's Books - November 9th, 2021

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. 


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The Collector's Daughter: A Novel of the Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb By Gill Paul Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780063079861
Availability: Available to Order
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks - September 7th, 2021

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!


The Riviera House By Natasha Lester Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9781538717318
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Forever - August 31st, 2021

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.


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The Forest of Vanishing Stars: A Novel By Kristin Harmel Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781982158941
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Gallery Books - May 3rd, 2022

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.


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Hour of the Witch: A Novel By Chris Bohjalian Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780525432692
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Vintage - January 25th, 2022

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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Summertime Guests By Wendy Francis Cover Image
$16.99
Unavailable at this time
ISBN: 9781525895982
Published: Graydon House - April 6th, 2021

Great summer beach read!


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The Rose Code: A Novel By Kate Quinn Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062943477
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks - March 9th, 2021

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!


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The Windsor Knot: A Novel (Her Majesty the Queen Investigates #1) By SJ Bennett Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780063050013
Availability: Available to Order
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks - February 8th, 2022

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


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Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox (The Finniverse series #1) By Michael Buckley Cover Image
$7.99
ISBN: 9780525646907
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Yearling - March 2nd, 2021

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.


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The Sculptress By V.S. Alexander Cover Image
$17.55
ISBN: 9781496720405
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Kensington - February 23rd, 2021

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?


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Ladies of the House By Lauren Edmondson Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781525895968
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Graydon House - February 9th, 2021

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


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The Four Winds: A Novel By Kristin Hannah Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9781250178602
Availability: Available to Order
Published: St. Martin's Press - February 2nd, 2021

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!


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What Happens in Paradise By Elin Hilderbrand Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316435543
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Back Bay Books - September 15th, 2020

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.


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The Wright Sister: A Novel By Patty Dann Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062993113
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Harper Perennial - August 18th, 2020

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.


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The Safe Place: A Novel By Anna Downes Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781250264817
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Minotaur Books - August 3rd, 2021

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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The Lost Diary of Venice: A Novel By Margaux DeRoux Cover Image
$18.70
Unavailable at this time
ISBN: 9781984819505
Published: Ballantine Books - June 15th, 2021

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!


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Montauk: A Novel By Nicola Harrison Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781250301789
Availability: Available to Order
Published: St. Martin's Griffin - June 9th, 2020

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.


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Grand: A Grandparent's Wisdom for a Happy Life By Charles Johnson Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781335015860
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Hanover Square Press - May 5th, 2020

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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Surfside Sisters: A Novel By Nancy Thayer Cover Image
$17.00
Unavailable at this time
ISBN: 9781524798734
Published: Ballantine Books - May 5th, 2020

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!


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The Satapur Moonstone (A Perveen Mistry Novel) By Sujata Massey Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781641291316
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Soho Crime - March 10th, 2020

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?


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The Library of Lost and Found By Phaedra Patrick Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780778309826
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Park Row - February 11th, 2020

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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Two Girls, a Clock, and a Crooked House By Michael Poore Cover Image
$16.99
Unavailable at this time
ISBN: 9780525644163
Published: Random House Books for Young Readers - September 10th, 2019

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!


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Winter in Paradise By Elin Hilderbrand Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316435536
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Back Bay Books - September 17th, 2019

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!


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Mythos By Stephen Fry, Stephen Fry (Foreword by) Cover Image
By Stephen Fry, Stephen Fry (Foreword by)
$29.95
ISBN: 9781452178912
Availability: Available to Order
Published: Chronicle Books - August 27th, 2019

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.


Little Fires Everywhere: A Novel By Celeste Ng Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780735224315
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - May 7th, 2019

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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Love and Ruin: A Novel By Paula McLain Cover Image
$17.00
Unavailable at this time
ISBN: 9781101967393
Published: Ballantine Books - January 15th, 2019

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.