Hayley Burke has just landed her dream job as curator of the First Edition Library, housed in the manse of the late Lady Georgiana Fowling in the heart of Bath, England. Not only is it a great job, but it also comes with living quarters on the premises. The other resident in Middlebank House is …
This is a really wonderful coming-of-age novel set mostly in the English countryside. The writing style and narrative choice lends to a very immersive experience while reading. You follow the main character growing up through many family struggles and her first love while being transported around England. It’s heartwarming, very witty, and an overall great read. –Rachael, …
There is just something about history that draws me in, and this novel was no different. I have read many books about World War II, but I especially loved this one as it focused on three women codebreakers at Bletchley Park. The Rose Code deals with two time periods, the first starting 1940 and the …
Three books new on the table this month all have to do with history: history of the past, history now in the making, and history yet to come. The Cold War may not seem like ancient history (to some of us, at least), and as Lara Prescott’s compelling new novel shows, its echoes can still …
Ellie Jacobs takes a walk near her home in the Exmoor countryside one day. While her husband, Clive, is a domineering lout, Ellie tries to create a peaceful life for herself by writing poetry and walking in the woods. On this day, however, Ellie comes across a barn that has been converted into a harpmaker’s …
Autumn has finally arrived here in the Northwest corner, sneaking up on us perhaps because so much of October was dressed up in summer-like weather, but it’s still the perfect time to look back at some favorite reads from the summer just passed. Lining them all up, it seems that although I didn’t actually get …
Michael Jecks has written many medieval mysteries featuring a defrocked Templar set in the early 14th Century. I have read about a dozen of those mysteries, the last one about five years ago. So many books, so little time! A few years ago, Mr. Jecks branched out to write novels about other historical events but …
It all started with Sara Crewe. Not even book (A Little Princess) Sara Crewe, but Shirley Temple-movie Sara Crewe in “The Little Princess” (1939). That was when I first fell in love with the idea of boarding school, even if I may not have thought of it in that way at the time. That’s not …
Like a love letter to a rare way of life, James Rebanks shares with honesty and depth about life as a shepherd in the Lake District of England. Filled with joy and insight and beauty. –Kelsea, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene, ID Take a bucolic break with a book from The Well-Read Moose and other …
For 60+ years I have been fascinated by the legendary Robin Hood. I have believed that he was a composite of more than one individual highwayman in 12th and 13th Century England. Consequently, I was thrilled to find this series by Angus Donald entitled “The Outlaw Chronicles.” There are nine books by Mr. Donald according to …
