So many genres, so little time
“It (Alcohol) brings out the devil in some men and takes their soul away,” Emery answered staunchly. “I’ve seen many a good man ravaged by the drink.” Winston is a disgraceful alcoholic (or drinkwater) and presumed murderer of his father, Lord Tabor. Cyrus Everett is Lord Tabor’s bailiff who falsely accuses Winston of murdering his… Continue reading Drinkwater: A Sobering Tale About A Medieval Knight by Otto Scamfer
This is the fourth book in the Outlander series and Claire and Jamie's new adventures are in the Americas. They travel with Ian Murray (Jamie's nephew) to North Carolina where they meet Jamie's Aunt Jocasta at River Run. Even though Aunt Jocasta wants to leave Jamie her estate, he prefers to settle at Fraser's Ridge… Continue reading Drums of Autumn (Outlander #4) by Diana Gabaldon
In Britain's Dark Ages, Marcus ap Iorwerth is a master spy and swordmaster who manipulates kings, warlords, and the church to keep his family and his people safe as well as saving Britain as a whole. Claerwen, Marcus's wife, has the sight and what she sees haunts her every day as she tries to decipher… Continue reading A Land Beyond Ravens by Kathleen Cunningham Guler
Christian was heir to the oldest winery in Gigondas, France. He lost his brother, Eugene, in the war and his ruthless and unfeeling father is grudgingly leaving the vineyard to Christian at the expense of Christian's freedom and peace of mind. At his mother's insistence, Christian will graduate from school before helping his father with… Continue reading The Last Estate by Conor Bowman
This wonderful story continues. I admit I was a little leery about the beginning because it started in the 1960's with Claire's present life and was too slow in my opinion, but when it returned to Claire and Jamie's adventures, I felt at ease once again. If you really want to feel the experience, get… Continue reading Dragonfly in Amber (Outlander #2) by Diana Gabaldon
This is an American coming of age novel set during the Depression Era. It explains how hard people worked to make a living and the dreams they had to live better. The memorable establishments called the Bon Ton Hat Shop, Bauer’s Chop Shop and Delaney’s Saloon and Billiard Parlor are true to the era and… Continue reading Dance Night by Dawn Powell
Was Australia a haven for Nazi's? The book starts out with the story of a young, wounded soldier named Peter who deserts the German army in WWII to find refuge with a Polish couple. He is destined to leave Europe and moves to Australia to start a new life under a new name. This is… Continue reading Hunter by Campbell Jefferys
Yes, I read the classics, too. A tragic love story where a drifter falls in love with a married woman, they plot to kill her husband, their lust gets in the way of common sense, and it ends in tragedy. A very lurid, short story of 1930's noir that holds the reader to the end.
Getting past the unusual design of the book, I found Connie's and Deliverance's stories very interesting. This is a fiction novel that has some historical facts about the Salem witch trials. I was expecting the historical element, but the suspense element was a nice surprise. Connie is working on her dissertation and comes across an… Continue reading The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
This book is fiction, but reads like a biography. Melanie Benjamin did a great job of combining fact with fiction and/or speculation as to the relationship between the very real characters of Alice Liddell Hargreaves (aka Alice in Wonderland) and Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (aka Lewis Carroll). Their relationship was disturbing at best. Apparently, Rev.… Continue reading Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin