Tag Archives: historical

Review: House of Shadows

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House of Shadows
by Nicola Cornick
4 stars

This is my first read by Nicola Cornick. The summary greatly interested me and I love historical fiction, especially dealing with any member of royalty. I love finding new authors and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Cornick has several other books and series.

House of Shadows is told from three different time periods: the 1600’s with the Queen of Bohemia, Elizabeth Stuart; Lavinia Flyte, a courtesan in the 1800’s, and Holly Ansel from the present day whose brother has disappeared after researching his family history. Despite the hundreds of years between the characters, they are all connected. I think Cornick did a great job researching for this book. The setting is beautifully written, and I could imagine it in my mind.

The mystery and superstition was very well done, as well as the alternating different time periods. I love that she used real characters mixed in with fictional ones. I love to research whether parts of the story were true after I finish the book. I enjoyed how everything started tying together in the last quarter of the book. I loved that this inspired me to research parts of history that I otherwise wouldn’t have thought of on my own.

 

Read-alikes

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

The Taxidermist’s Daughter by Kate Mosse

History Roundtable

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Do you have a thirst for knowledge? Are you looking for good conversation? Satisfy both those needs by attending the library’s History Roundtable which meets the 4th Thursday of the month at 6:30pm. Each month we discuss a new topic. All you need to do is come ready to summarize a non-fiction book, a documentary, or a podcast that pertains, no matter how thinly, to the topic. You’re guaranteed to learn something new about the subject and something new about how it relates to today’s world. Thus far we’ve discussed Russian History, the Interwar Period (1919-1938), and Scottish History. I read Bill Bryson’s One Summer: America, 1927 for the Interwar Period and was amazed how America today mirrors much of America in the 1920s.

Upcoming Topics:
August 24th – Favorite Founding Fathers
September 28th – The History of India
October 26th – Natural Disasters

Find more information at http://www.greenwoodlibrary.us/historyroundtable.
Register at www.greenwoodlibrary.us or by calling 317-885-5036.

 

Podcast: The Valiant

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Can’t make it to one of our regularly scheduled book clubs?  Then read along with our #GPLtalk podcast.   Each month, we discuss a different book, and we’d love for you to read along!

This month we discussed The Valiant by Lesley Livingston, a historical fiction teen title set during the Roman Empire.

Fallon, the daughter of a Celtic King, is kidnapped by Roman slavers and taken out of Britain to Rome where she is sold to an elite training school for female gladiators.  The school is owned by Julius Caeser – the same tyrant that invaded her homeland and killed her sister.  In order to survive, Fallon must hone her skills with a sword and navigate threats both inside and out of the arena.

Book Club Conclusion: The general consensus was positive for the entertaining story set during an interesting and brutal time of history.  We might not rush to read the series sequel, but it’s definitely one we recommend.

Take a listen as Emily, Aubrey, Jessica, and Valerie discuss historical fiction, quick love connections, and the desire for blood.

If you’ve read the book (or plan to read it!), we’d love to hear your book club conclusion. Would you recommend the book to others?

And be sure to read along with us next month as we discuss Jay Kristoff’s Nevernight.

Review: Orphan Train Girl

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Orphan Train Girl
by Christina Baker Kline
4 stars

Molly has endured years of rejection in foster homes. She attempts to steal a paperback book from the library and is sentenced to 20 hours of community service. She ends up helping 91 year old Vivian clean out her attic full of memories from her past. Vivian was a poor Irish immigrant who was orphaned after a fire and sent off on one of the historic orphan trains to find someone to take her. Her story of overcoming neglect and abuse resonates with Molly. Through Vivian’s friendship, Molly makes great strides in learning to trust again.

This is an adapted version of an adult novel based on the research Kline did on the 250,000+ children who were sent out on the orphan trains from 1854-1929. Many of the horrifying details of the adult book are missing from this edition. This book would make a great Mother/Daughter read.  Recommended for grades 4-8.  AR Level: 4.5 Lexile 700

Read-alikes

Arcady’s Goal by Eugene Yelchin

Touch Blue by Cynthia Lord

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker

Review: Salt to the Sea

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Salt to the Sea
by Ruta Sepetys
4 stars

I have owned Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea for about a year but only read it recently, which is a tragedy.  It was also one of the books for the I Heart YA book club here at the Library.  Salt to the Sea tells the story of 4 teenagers, Joanna a Lithuanian nurse, Emilia a 15 year old Polish refugee, Florian a Prussian boy with secrets, and Alfred a young Nazi soldier in the winter of 1945.

The book starts with some of our characters walking across East Prussia trying to stay away from the dangers of both German and Russian soldiers.  Eventually the four main characters are together on the MV Wilhelm Gustloff, a German military transport ship.  The story switches between the characters points of few frequently, so we get to see all of their reactions to the chaos surrounding them just months before the fall of the Third Reich and the end of World War II.

I though this book was fantastic.  I was not familiar with the fate of the Wilhelm Gustloff, so I admit to googling it as soon as I realized that the book was based on true events.  Salt to the Sea is definitely not a light and fluffy read as Sepetys does not spare her readers the reality of this bleak time in history.  I went into this book expecting it to make me cry.  What I was not expecting were the times it would stun me as Sepetys would describe events with the same speed as they would happen, like a bomb going off and suddenly the people who were standing right behind you are no longer there.  There were several moments when I just had to stop and process what these characters had gone through and how they had to keep moving regardless.

I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and I intend to read more of Ruta Sepetys’ books very soon.

Read-alikes

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Front Lines by Michael Grant