A novel about the recent pandemic. It starts out interesting and then she throws in the crazy turn right in the middle which makes it somewhat more interesting, however, I didn't care much for the main character (although that's purely personal taste) so it didn't rate very high on my list of favorites. But it had a good page turning plot line.
The best book - hands down - I've ever read about the Civil War. The author starts with causes of the war and mentions so many things of which I've never thought. This massive book is filled with so many details it's hard for it not to come alive. James McPherson hasn't written too many books but this was amazing. It's quite lengthy though - I had to renew it several times.
The children's librarian recommended this for Rebekah. It's a graphic novel that's suppose to present historical facts and information in a way that's fun for kids. Honestly I was not amused. I tend to think this type of literature style has its place and can do much good or it can dumb down the information. Guess which category I threw this book?
Historical fiction about a leper colony in Arizona. The main character was a movie star, wife, and mother, and lost all when she was diagnosed with leprosy. The story spends most of its time in the leper colony as the main character tries to reclaim - or recreate herself in her new situation. It's fascinating. Not my favorite read but recommendable.
I read this one with Rebekah. We had to skip over some of the war parts and she thought the mom was over the top mean, but I think she ended up liking it. She even asked for the next one in the series.
I like this lecturer so I checked out a few more of his lectures. This one wasn't as good as the fascinating one he did on the crusades, but it was good. And they're pretty short - only 6 hours or so. I have a few more I'll be looking into in the future.
My cousin suggested I read this one. Kate Quinn is pretty good. While most of her books turn to romance and such they have a pretty good basis in history and have enough plot twists to keep you connected. Also she writes some interesting characters who in my opinion are connectable and even likable. I'd recommend her books.
I admit I picked this one up because I liked the look of the cover. It's one of those multi time line books. Also starts at the beginning of the pandemic. Crazy how many authors are throwing that in lately. It's listed under historical fiction and seemed to be more fiction than history but then the author puts in a few pages about the war in the Atlantic where they found German subs off the coast of Georgia. Have to admit I looked up the information and it's actually true. I had no idea. So three cheers to the author! Otherwise it's a good easy read.
Again, looking for more books for the Bee. This graphic novel was a "coming of age" story - well kind of a refusal to come of age story... The main character (the tom-boy looking girl on the left) isn't into boys like most of her 6th grade class members, and the majority of others in the book. It's okay. I was thinking it was benign and told Rebekah she might like to read it, but there's not an SRC test on it so it wouldn't count for school. I didn't think she would read it but she did. She ended up thinking the main character was a boy through most of the book and then it lead to crazy questions about gender issues and boys dressing like girls and visa versa. So.... maybe not extremely recommendable unless you're up for that kind of conversation.
A fascinating look at King George III. I like reading books that supply different perspectives, for example I've read much bout the Revolutionary War, however most everything I've read has been from then American (United States / founding fathers) side. One book I read from an English author referred to the Revolutionary War as The Rebellion. Another example was Lafayette: I've read much about him and his interaction with the Revolution and such, but that's just one little aspect in his life - there's so much more. Basically the same thing here with King George. There is so much more than just "fat king George" or "Tyrant" or "mad King George" you hear about during the revolutionary writings. Eye opening.
This is the second time I've I read this one, this time to Rebekah. I got a few chapters into it and she complained it was boring and wanted to stop. But then she wanted the SRC points so told me to keep going. By the end she wouldn't let me stop reading it (I ended up reading out loud the entire last third of the book without stopping) while she giggled and was highly interested. She had me order the rest of the series from the library. Calling this one a win.
Recommended to me by a friend, this fiction was somewhat mind challenging. The author has 6 plot lines going at one time. Eventually two converge with each other ending up in 3 plot lines but still it's a lot of which to keep track. The story line is interesting and yet I'm not sure I emotionally bonded with any of the characters. This is the 2nd book of Anthony Doerr I've read. If I remember correctly I was not a huge fan of All the Light We Cannot See either; it had an interesting plot line but in the end I didn't seem to care too much about the characters.
Historically account of two ancient queens that lived during the 6th century. Books like this are somewhat opinion and assumption but it was interesting to read about what happened during that time and what Western Europe looked like at that time period.
Middle grade fiction about a boy who has ADHD and a summer prank gone wrong. It's a very interesting plot line, reads well, with good character development and even moral lessons. Highly recommendable, although I'm not going to suggest it to Rebekah for quite some time an account of the prank (someone ends up in a coma).
