This book is a must read for all, no matter your interest level in the Civil War. Told from the viewpoint of a Chinese immigrant, his daughter and her lover, it a poignant tale of how war effects everyone. I am a bedtime reader and this book kept me up late many nights because I would completely lose track of time. I highly recommend it to all - plenty of issues for book groups to discuss, not too mature for teens,

In the afterword of the book Lippman writes that she has thought about this story since 2001 and it shows. The plot is perfect, the storytelling is gripping and the characters are fully developed. It was hard for me to put this book down. Even when not reading it, I was thinking about what was going to happen and what had happened. Read this book!

As someone who has lived near a Shaker community for many years of my life, I was very interested to read A Simple Murder. I found the book to be historically accurate as well giving a good portrayal of Shaker life. Overall I thought the book was well written, moved at a good pace, and had enough twists so that I stayed interested and couldn't solve the mystery right away.

The only part that I found tedious was the constant "washing up," and description of same, of the main character. While I appreciate good hygiene, I don't need to read about it 3 and 4 times in a chapter.

The dialogue in Half-Blood Blues is what makes the book worth reading. The story had ebbs and flows, making the book a bit tedious a some points, but slogging through those low points was rewarded by the high points. Throughout it is the dialogue and the capture of the times, reflected through the eyes of African-American jazz players, that provides the most enjoyment.

For people who enjoy historical fiction, this will give you a new look at Germany and France at the beginning of WWII.

Accidents of Providence by Stacia Brown tells the story of a woman in Oliver Cromwell's England who is accused of having a baby out of wedlock.

The setting of the story is very good. It is obvious Ms. Brown has done her research. The dialogue is also very good. However, some of the main character's internal dialogue gets lengthy (and doesn't add anything to the novel). As well, there are some scenes that also don't add anything to the novel. For example, the main character (a glove-maker) makes gloves for all of her gaolers on Christmas Eve, but that is the last that the reader hears about the gloves.

Overall I enjoyed this book, but I was not swept away by it.