In 1934, Ruth escapes the psychiatric hospital in Tuscaloosa where she was born and raised after one of the orderlies tries to force her into an unwanted marriage. After taking a job caring for an ailing, elderly man — who gifts her with a rare coin and then dies — she becomes half of the Hawthorn Sisters, two women who claim they can heal people through touch and prayer. When her other half falls in … Read More “Reviving the Hawthorn Sisters by Emily Carpenter” »
Category: Historical Fiction
Hazel Gaynor has written another wonderful historical fiction novel that will leave you both content and in tears. Set in China during WWII, a British-run missionary school, filled with British and American students and teachers, is taken over by the Japanese army. Different chapters are told from the perspective of different characters, but the main character is Nancy Plummer (aka “Plum”) who is 10-years-old and has been left at the school by her missionary parents … Read More “When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor” »
Over and over again, Lake Union Publishing releases books that I really enjoy and want to recommend to others, and The House at Mermaid’s Cove continues this pattern. Set in WWII, Alice washes ashore in Cornwall after her Ireland-bound ship is torpedoed by the Germans. Jack, the lord of the nearby manor rescues her, but doesn’t have completely selfless intentions… Not only is this a slow burning love story, but it’s a story about the … Read More “The House at Mermaid’s Cove by Lindsay Jayne Ashford” »
I’ve read a number of Alison Weir’s books (nonfiction and historical fiction,) and while I didn’t like this one as much as her previous ones in this series, it was still an enjoyable read. Katheryn Howard is just 19 when she becomes Henry VIII’s fifth wife, fated to be beheaded by the age of 21. A decent portion of this book, though, is focused on her life before she became queen, when she was a … Read More “Katheryn Howard, the Scandalous Queen by Allison Weir” »
The Girl Who Came Home is a book about the Titanic’s voyage, inspired by the true story of the Addergoole 14. Maggie is a 17-year-old Irish orphan who is leaving her sweetheart behind to sail to the United States with her Aunt Kathleen and a dozen other friends from her small town to start a new life. Obviously, the boat sinks, and Maggie survives. Now that she’s 87-years-old, she’s finally ready to share her story … Read More “The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor” »