Book Club, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Salt to the Sea first came into my hands as an ARC (advanced reader copy) shortly after I was introduced to Ruta Sepetys' writing when I picked up a copy of Between Shades of Gray at a not-so-little hidden gem of a used book store in center city Philadelphia. When I met Ruta at Winter Institute in 2016,… Continue reading Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

The Falconer by Elizabeth May

The Falconer #1 The Falconerย came into the bookstore one day with a blurb from Sarah J. Maas on the cover and it was a pretty quick decision about whether or not I would be taking it home to read it. Synopsis She's a stunner. Edinburgh, 1844. Eighteen-year-old Lady Aileana Kameron, the only daughter of the… Continue reading The Falconer by Elizabeth May

Book Club, Fiction, Historical

Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

A former co-worker first recommended Cinnamon and Gunpowder to me when I told her of my love of pirate tales. It then became a book that sat on my shelf for far too long until I decided it should be a book selection for my book club, the Modern Readers! This is the original graphic used to… Continue reading Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown

Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Verity #1 Over the past few years I have read my fair share of novels set during World War II including my absolute favorite Montmaray Journals, the splendid Salt to the Sea, and the โ€œpull-on-your-heartstringsโ€ Letters to the Lost. So when Sarah told me that if I read Code Name Verity it would break my… Continue reading Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Fiction, Historical

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

I enjoy a well written WWII narrative as much as the next person - there's a reason there is a whole sub-genre of historical fiction dedicated to the time period - 70+ years later it still holds the world's attention, particular in the current world climate that seems to threaten WWIII. I picked up The Nightingale not… Continue reading The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Flame in the Mist #1 Time for another beauty by Renee Ahdieh! She is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and when the ARC ย (advanced reader copy) of Flame in the Mist came into the store, my coworkers were nice enough to make sure it wound up in my hands! Synopsis There was only… Continue reading Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh

Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

The Wrath and the Dawn duology by Renee Ahdieh

The Wrath and the Dawn & The Rose and the Dagger The Wrath and the Dawnย was a book I picked up after seeing/listening to a panel about diversity in books. Along with Sabaa Tahir, Marie Lu and Aisha Saeed, Renee Ahdieh shared some very insightful points about diversity in books. I've now covered three of… Continue reading The Wrath and the Dawn duology by Renee Ahdieh

Fiction, Historical, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Leviathan #1 I purchasedย Leviathanย shortly after I started working at a bookstore, nearly two years ago. It was not, however, until Scott Westerfeld came to said bookstore back in the spring that I remembered that I had the book at home, still sitting on my shelf unread. After a friend finished all three in the series… Continue reading Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Book Club, Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

As a lover of WWII historical fiction, I had heard that Between Shades of Gray would most likely be a book I would enjoy. When I happened to find it by chance at a used bookstore in Center City Philadelphia, I knew I needed to get it. After meeting Ruta Sepetys back in January of 2016,… Continue reading Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Fiction, Historical

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

Saxon Chronicles #1 I broke my own self-imposed rule - I watchedย The Last Kingdomย on Netflix before I readย The Last Kingdomย by Bernard Cornwell. I had picked up the first book in the series after my sister gave my husband the most recent in the Saxon Chronicles for Christmas one year, not only because I was intrigued,… Continue reading The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell