Malu finds herself caught between a Mexican mother who wants her to be the perfect señorita and a music-loving father who helped foster her love of all things punk. After their divorce, Malu and her mother move to Chicago from Florida, where Malu has to start a new school and find her place, ultimately discovering …
This engaging biographical novel brings the larger-than-life character of Josephine Baker to the forefront of the reader’s imagination. Although the singer/dancer/activist wrote memoirs of her own, restrictions of the era and a Hollywood agenda prevented them from being honest. This book reveals what the others did not, including her early years of poverty and abuse …
In the ’60s four young siblings visit a psychic who tells each of them the day they will die. Would you live your life differently if you knew the date of your death? Would you want to know? Free will or fate? These and other questions are surrounded by beautiful writing that keeps you turning …
Sometimes when I look back over the past few books I’ve read, I notice a common thread running through them. Might be a particular time period or historical event, a theme whether big or small, or frequently, a locale. And that’s why one corner of The Front Table is currently draped in the green, white …
Elsie, newly widowed and pregnant, moves from London to her husband’s country estate expecting to live in quiet comfort during the period of her confinement. Instead, she finds the house in disarray, the servants resentful, and the company of her husband’s young cousin, Sarah, less than satisfactory. Yet, when strange and dangerous events occur, Elsie …
This is a perfect book to read this winter. Ivey alternates between the journal entries of Colonel Allen Forrester while he explores uncharted territory in Alaska and the diary of his pregnant wife Sophie, who is stuck at the military barracks until he returns. I was enthralled with the vivid descriptions of the Alaskan landscape, …
I enjoyed the combination of sci fi, historical fiction, and literary exploration. I was dropped into 1815 and saw it through the eyes of two researchers from the future who love Jane Austen’s work. They’ve been sent to find and bring back the completed manuscript of “The Watsons” because only part of it has made …
This is a quirky story in which two people with no apparent connection are offered a huge sum of money by an unknown benefactor to spend two hours together each week for a year. The characters are interesting and the slow revelation of the identity of their benefactor and why they were chosen keeps the …
This well-known Spanish author uses the tango and chess as the metaphors to move this story of two untrustworthy people who meet three times in their lives. While the characters are not very likable, they are very realistic. I loved the tempo and feel of this whirlwind saga. The smells and sounds made me feel …
Do you love mysteries? Art history? The Muralist is a wonderful blend of both. Shapiro’s second novel is really good! [Her first, The Art Forger, is one of Derrick’s staff picks.] Blending fictional and historical artists. The depression era in New York comes to life. Loved it! –Melissa DeMotte, The Well-Read Moose, Coeur d’Alene, ID This …
