Biography, History, Nonfiction

The Crown Official Companion Volume 1 by Robert Lacey

The Crown: The Official Companion #1 After Downton Abbey ended, I began a search for a new favorite historical British show, and, lucky me, The Crown came along! When I found out that the Queen's biographer was writing a companion nonfiction account, I knew I had to treat myself to it! Synopsis Elizabeth Mountbatten never expected her father to… Continue reading The Crown Official Companion Volume 1 by Robert Lacey

Fiction, Historical

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Miniaturist #1 Given that the BBC is doing a miniseries of The Miniaturist for the holidays, I thought it a pertinent review for today! A few weeks ago, I admitted to owning a Kindle. For Christmas a few years ago, my father gave me a Kindle – yes, I finally gave in and accepted that some of… Continue reading The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Fiction, Historical, Retelling, Young Adult

Scarlet trilogy by A. C. Gaughen

Scarlet, Lady Thief, Lion Heart I’d been debating picking this book up for a while and decided to just go ahead and order it. I flew threw it – I definitely should have started it sooner! It has now led to me re-watching all the Robin Hood adaptations I love – starting with the BBC… Continue reading Scarlet trilogy by A. C. Gaughen

Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

I finally realized why I read so many books about young women during World War II. My grandmother grew up in Nürnberg during this time and she has never spoken about her childhood. From what my father has told me about her experiences, I wouldn’t talk about it either. I read so many books because… Continue reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

Verity #2 I may need to reread Rose Under Fire - when I first read it, I was "broken" on World War II novels - I'd read so many, I didn't really "feel" anything when I read them anymore. There are things that happen in Rose Under Fire that are absolutely horrific and I just kept… Continue reading Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

Fiction, Historical, Young Adult

The Montmaray Journals by Michelle Cooper

A Brief History of Montmaray, The FitzOsbornes in Exile, The FitzOsbornes at War My sister told me I absolutely had to read these books, and while being told to read something is not usually a good incentive, this time I am so happy that she introduced me to these books. These are three of my… Continue reading The Montmaray Journals by Michelle Cooper

Book Club, Graphic Novel, Memoir/Autobiography, Nonfiction

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Persepolis had been on my TBR list for a very long time, probably since I first saw the trailer for the film adaptation (which I still haven't seen) at an art theater in the town I grew up in. When Emma Watson, one of my personal heroes, decided to make it a selection for her Goodreads'… Continue reading Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Book Club, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror

The Vorrh by Brian Catling

Vorrh #1 Today my husband and I are celebrating the 7th anniversary of our first date so I figured I would review one of his favorite books, that I also read for our book club, The Modern Readers.  This is the original graphic used to promote the book club. Synopsis Outside the colonial town of… Continue reading The Vorrh by Brian Catling

Book Club, History, Nonfiction

Dead Wake by Erik Larson

The Last Crossing of the Lusitania Every month, the Modern Readers discuss what types of books we collectively would like to be reading. In February 2016, one of our number mentioned that Erik Larson would be doing a talk in a nearby town, so we figured Dead Wake would make a great book club choice! This is… Continue reading Dead Wake by Erik Larson

Biography, Nonfiction, Photography/Art

Women in Sports by Rachel Ignotofsky

50 Fearless Athletes Who Played to Win Why did I decide to read Women in Sports... I hope I've established through my selection of books so far that I absolutely adore all books that celebrate strong women and positive female role models. Sports in particular hold a very special place in my heart - those are my… Continue reading Women in Sports by Rachel Ignotofsky