The Seven O'Clock Club
by Amelia Ireland
The Seven o'clock Club (10/30/2024)
I am blown away that this is Amelia Ireland's debut novel. It is a fascinating look into grief & how each individual character handled it. Ms Ireland inspired me to think about my own experience of losing a husband & the sensation I felt when he died. I highly recommend this book. And look forward to her next novel.
Do Tell: A Novel
by Lindsay Lynch
DoTell (6/18/2023)
Lindsay Lynch's debut novel "Do Tell" is a tell all of the glorious & often tragic golden age of early Hollywood. A history of the power studios had over the careers of the actors & the dreams that were shattered by just a small article in a gossip column.
I highly recommend this book. I wait anticipatedly for Lindsay's next novel.
Her Hidden Genius: A Novel
by Marie Benedict
Her Hidden Genius (12/22/2021)
Marie Benedict has written another book about outstanding women who have been overlooked by our male dominated history.
Dr. Rosalind Franklin has discovered, through hours of tireless research, the double helix structure of DNA.
"Her Hidden Genius" relates how a brilliant woman scientist struggles to have her work recognized by her male colleagues and the scientific community.
The Personal Librarian
by Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
The Personal Librarian (2/24/2021)
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict & Victoria Christopher Murray blends the angst of trying to fit into, not just a male dominated world, but a white world as well.
In 1905, Belle Greene's mother has decided to give up her heritage as a black woman, to give her children the advantages of education & jobs that are available to only a few. Belle gets a highly coveted job to be JP Morgan's personal librarian. Marie Benedict at her best.
The Voyage of the Morning Light: A Novel
by Marina Endicott
The Voyage of the Morning Light (7/14/2020)
The Voyage of the Morning Light by Marina Endicott is the true story of two half-sister Kay and Thea who journey to the South Pacific in 1912 learning about sisterhood, loss, prejudice, aloneness, and acceptance of our differences.
A story of culture clash.
The Women with Silver Wings: The Inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II
by Katherine Sharp Landdeck
The Woman with Silver Wings (3/3/2020)
Katherine Sharp Landdeck's book is a history of women in aviation just before and during WWII. A comprehensive look into the pioneering women fliers. A detailed account of the lives, loves, abilities, struggles to become women avaitrixes. A spellbinding look into the fortitude these early fliers forged for today's modern fliers. Everyone should read this book.
The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James
Bates Motel - no knife (11/6/2019)
1982 - a mysterious disappearance; unsolved murders; a journal; 2017 - a niece searching for answers; a haunted motel; ghosts; a handsome stranger; a serial killer - still around?; sounds interesting? The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is the book for you.
Yale Needs Women: How the First Group of Girls Rewrote the Rules of an Ivy League Giant
by Anne Gardiner Perkins
Yale Needs Women (7/18/2019)
I have read many books about the history of equality for women - from aviation to education - what I'm most surprised about is the lack of empathy, stubbornness of some men, and, on the other side, the vision of both men and women as to what contributions both can bring to our world and society.
Anne Gardiner Perkin's book "Yale Needs Women" captures the desire of women who deserve an equal chance at a university college of THEIR choice - not to settle for anything less.
A book full of history, the lives of women that were pioneers of not just equality in education but in all aspects of life. "Yale Needs Women" is a book every young person should read.
D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
by Sarah Rose
D-Day (3/13/2019)
A fascinating glimpse into the creation of SOE, Winston Churchill's okaying of using women as spies, the heroics of these female guerrillas, the horrific mistakes made by some mission leaders since this was never done before, all in preparation for D-Day. Sarah Rose's D-Day Girls is methodically researched, beautifully written. A true life spy thriller. As I read D-Day Girls I was continually referring to Google. Historical fiction at it's best.
Sounds Like Titanic: A Memoir
by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman
Memoir (1/17/2019)
As a teen growing up in the 60's I was surprised by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman's description of her 90's experience as a teen. The pressure of a new age of woman's freedoms. Sounds Like Titanic, a Memoir is humorous - The Composer & his many foibles; the audiences gullibility - "It sounds like the music from the Titanic - and still buying it; Jessica Hindman's struggles with self-esteem. A Memoir filled with pathos and nuggets of laughter.
A Ladder to the Sky: A Novel
by John Boyne
A Ladder to the Sky (8/23/2018)
I read the first quarter of John Boyne's book "A Ladder to the Sky" and liked the subtlety he used when writing the interaction between the two main characters. The manipulation both of them used to further their individual agendas. The second quarter of Mr. Boyne's novel was no longer subtle therefore I couldn't read it any longer. I personally would recommend it to a certain select audience.
Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History
by Keith O'Brien
Fly Girls (6/21/2018)
Keith O'Brien has written an awesome book about a forgotten time in America's history. "Fly Girls" brought to life the struggle of women, not just women avatrixes, for equality; to be admired for their intelligence and fortitude; recognition; and tragedy of the early flying pioneers. I googled the fliers, plane types, plane manufacturers, wood vs metal, designs - the magical awakening of the airplane age. I consider "Fly Girls" one of the best books I have read.
Meet Me at the Museum
by Anne Youngson
Meet Me at the Museum (4/18/2018)
Meet Me at the Museum is not your standard what I call the "can we become friends" book. A letter written, a letter answered, a friendship formed, two lives changed. All because a letter was received by somebody unexpected.
Anne Youngson brings her characters to life. I look forward to reading her future books.
Seven Days of Us: A Novel
by Francesca Hornak
7 Days of Us (5/17/2017)
There are 2 types of dysfunctional family. One fights about everything and the other superficially talks with no feeling. I've lived in both. Francesca Hornak's "Seven Days of Us" is about a family who has grown up together but have never "talked". Secrets, sorrow, wish-I-hads. Ms Hornak's character development is superb and each of the family members tells the story from their perspective. "Hilariously funny" - no. Poignant with a little whimsy tossed in - yes. I enjoyed it immensely.
Home Sweet Home
by April Smith
McCarthyism (12/20/2016)
Home Sweet Home by April Smith is a peek into the life of an American family, the Kuseks, and how an innocent act in the past can have a lasting and murderous affect on the future. April Smith has written about a period of intolerance and fear, Communism. Home Sweet Home could also be a story of today's America reflecting that same atmosphere of intolerance and fear.
Caught in the Revolution: Petrograd, Russia, 1917 - A World on the Edge
by Helen Rappaport
Caught in the Revolution (11/4/2016)
Helen Rappaport has captured the beauty of Petrograd, the exquisite lifestyle of the foreign ambassador's and the opulence of the Russian aristocracy, and the anguish of the working class in "Caught in the Revolution" through her masterful use of diaries and letters of people living in Petrograd, Russia in 1917.
I have a Russian neighbor whom I was able to talk to about the Revolution. Helen Rappaport's Caught in the Revolution is a book everyone should read. I anxiously await her next book.
The Six: The Lives of the Mitford Sisters
by Laura Thompson
Mittford Sisters (6/14/2016)
Reading about six sisters was very intriguing. I do like historical biographies. I did find the factual information and background of the Mittford family interesting and was a good opening for Laura Thompson's novel.
The rest of the book, however, Could have been written from the individual sisters points of view with some dialog thrown in. The Six is a very dry read. I would suggest more editing and infusing life into the sisters story.
Far From True: A Promise Falls Novel
by Linwood Barclay
Not "Far from True" (12/6/2015)
Linwood Barclay's novel Far From True is full of subplots and characters that appear to be random events. Which culminate in the solution that brings all the unrelated events together. Mr. Barclay is a master at building interesting characters & a story you can't put down.
Natchez Burning: A Penn Cage Novel, Natchez Burning Trilogy #1
by Greg Iles
Reality check (9/27/2015)
Natchez Burning is truly a book worth reading. The author put me into Viola's, Penn's, Shad's, Tom's, Jimmy's, Glenn's, Albert"s lives as if I were living them & felt completely baffled by how a human being, both men, women, and children, could do such horrific acts. Halfway through the book I was struck by an overwhelming empathy and understanding of what life must have been like in the deep, manic South not just during the past but what the feelings are now in the 21st century. SC has finally taken the confederacy flag from the capitol. Now we have to take it from the South's hearts. Bravo Greg Iles for a beautifully written novel. This book is in my top 5 best novels.
Fishbowl: A Novel
by Bradley Somer
Fishbowl (5/10/2015)
Fishbowl by Bradley Somer looks at our everyday world through the eyes of Ian, a goldfish, who has fallen out of his window. He views the everyday lives of the extraordinarily ordinary people as he passes by their windows. Just up the street is a construction site advertising "The Future Home" of 180 luxury suites with silhouette people depicted. What would Ian see as he passed by these windows?
Bradley Somer creates a feeling of nostalgia by looking at an old, much-used building/life and contrasting it against a new, sterile one. I look forward to reading more from him.
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