Staff Picks Archive

THE DIAMOND EYE

If you like historical fiction this book is a must read. It is set in Russia during World War Two. It is based on the life of Mila Pavlichenko, or Lady Death as she came to be known. She was a sniper in the Red Army.

The Right Sort of Man

World War II is over, and there are soldiers looking for wives..... Miss Iris Sparks, avuncular and unmarried, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, practical and widowed with a young son, are determined to achieve some independence and do some good in a rapidly changing world. Matchmaking! Whoops, the business is going well, when murder slips in. How do they save thier business and save their clients?

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

This book blends the 1930's history of the Pack Horse Library Project, in Kentucky; with Cussy an employee (with the problem of being a 'blue person' and therefore shunned due to her 'race') and how libraries can both educate and entertain through books a community. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a story of raw courage, fierce strength, and one woman's determination to bring a little bit of hope to the darkly hollers of Kentucky.

The Paris Architect

Like most gentiles in Nazi-occupied Paris, architect Lucien has little empathy for the Jews. So when a wealthy industrialist offers him a large sum of money to devise secret hiding places for Jews, Lucien struggles with the choice of risking his life for a cause he doesn’t really believe in. Not being able to resist a challenge, he begins designing expertly concealed hiding spaces by detecting possibilities invisible to the average eye. But when one of his clever hiding spaces fails horribly, he can no longer deny reality.

City on the Edge

Graham, our protagonist, is coming of age during a tumultuous time in Beirut. Graham's father "works for the American Embassy" but is convinced he may have other employment. A fast, adventure filled read with some historical background during the 1970's.

The Mermaid From Jeju

This story drew me in and made me feel like I was alongside the characters. I got to be part of the heartbreak, the confusion, the perseverance, the loyalty, and the love of Goh Junja and it made me want to know more about her story and the story of others in Korea during the war. Very interesting and eye-opening read. I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end as well.

The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Bourgh

For all BBC Pride and Prejudice fans (and just Pride and Prejudice fans in general)!!! You will recall the sickly Miss Anne de Bourgh that Elizabeth Bennet (played by GODDESS Jennifer Ehle) smirks at as a fitting future mate to Mr. Darcy. Well, this book is HER book, Anne's story, and it is poetic and lovely and beautiful and progressive (YEP!) and you will fall in love with Anne, seeing her in a wonderful and new light. You might even find a smidgeon of pity for Lady Catherine de Bourgh, but only the barest smidgeons. This is fan fiction done in just the best way! Enjoy!

Light in Hidden Places

WWII Poland -- I've read many WWII Historical Fiction, but this one had me holding my breath and/or cringing with the descriptions of the atrocities done to the Jewish community by the German Nazis. It took courage and love to be able to try to hide, feed and protect Jews in her home under the nose of the Germans, and Stefania Podgórska did it! This book is based on her true story.

The Poppy Wife

The story takes place in England/France just after the end of WWI. Focused on the grief that families felt, a Veteran tours the communities and cemeteries to locate graves or locations of "the last battle" to photograph and send to them. His sister-in-law, a widow does not believe her husband is dead, and pursues the country searching for him. This book is a different approach on the WWI stories of the last few years.

The Chocolate Maker’s Wife

This book is loaded with topics to discuss! The one that impacted me the most due to our current COVID pandemic, is that the Plague of London 1665 was featured extensively. The book also includes tons of information on the rise of Chocolate popularity, the life and culture of the British in the 1600's, the Fire of London 1666, abuse of women and of Black people, and romance is woven into it all. The book did not catch my attention for about 4 pages, but I'm glad that I persisted, as the plot grew and picked up speed. Brooks, an author from Australia, did tons of research on the time period, people and all of the content that she included! The book is very, very dense with history and content, so it took me a long time to read it, even with all of the time that I had to spare in this time of "shelter in place."

Today We Go Home

This book is a salute to the women who are serving in the military for our country. It blends the heroic efforts of a soldier returning from Afghanistan, suffering from PTSD, with a Civil War soldier, who leaves a diary of her experiences as a soldier. Yes a woman soldier! Larkin discovers a treasure in the belongings of her best friend who dies in combat : the diary of Emily Wilson, a young woman who disguised herself as a man to fight for the Union in the Civil War. The book alternates between these two women to share their stories.

A Gentleman in Moscow

How is one's life changed when a person is forced to stay within the walls of one building for the rest of your life? Though this book is set in Russia, during the 1930 - 1950's, the topics of ones' emotional, mental and physical health in a confined setting is very applicable to our current conditions of "Sheltering in Place." When, in 1922, he is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, and must now live in an attic room while some of the most tumultuous decades in Russian history are unfolding outside the hotel's doors. Time passes, friendships with hotel staff and guests grow, and bring humorous and touching adventures for this Gentleman in Moscow.

Before we were yours

Based on historical facts about the Tennessee Children’s Home Society orphanage, Wingate weaves a compelling and sometimes horrifying story about two young girls who were adopted from the orphanage. Each chapter takes you from present day to the 1930’s making the story easy to follow. I couldn’t help but researching Georgia Tann and the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. It’s not pleasant to read about, but it enticed me to check out “Mommie Dearest,” since Joan Crawford adopted two of her children from this orphanage.