Category Archives: Historical Fiction

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin

Some books shout at you to get your attention, some books are all plot and suspense and herd you to the end.  Some books are just talk–characters talking about themselves or about other characters about who they are and why … Continue reading

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Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

A finalist for the National Book Award, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee is a haunting and moving four generational saga of a Korean family who flees what is now North Korea to live in Japan.  Spanning more than eighty years … Continue reading

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A King’s Ransom by Sharon Kay Penman

This is the final book in Penman’s Plantagnets’ series. Starting with While Christ and His Saints Slept, Penman has followed the family’s complicated and tragic rise and fall. In Lionheart, Penman told the story of Richard’s rise to power and his … Continue reading

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News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Texas in the early days after the Civil War is a dangerous and rough place for any travelers. For Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd,  who roams north Texas giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences who are hungry for news … Continue reading

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The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott

Daniel Connor is traveling to Paris, with a letter of introduction and some precious coral samples, to study anatomy with the world renowned authority,  Dr. Cuvier at the Jardin des Plantes. This is the opportunity of a lifetime and Daniel … Continue reading

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In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen

I admit that I have been going through a low grade Downton Abbey withdrawal. I have tried to fill this void with other period dramas but somehow they just don’t get at that little knot of longing for haughty Mary … Continue reading

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A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

Some books are like a cat that curls up purring on your lap, looking up at you with all the affection and mystery a cat can muster and you are, of course, immediately beguiled and entranced with this unexpected and … Continue reading

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The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve

I am often haunted by books that initially I would not have thought had that power.  These are books that usually are quietly subversive, working their way into your heart slowly without a lot of drama or fireworks. Anita Shreve … Continue reading

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Cop Town by Karin Slaughter

According to Amazon I bought this book in July of 2014 but I didn’t read it until last week.  My only excuse is that sometimes my relationship and expectations of an author are complicated. I love Karin Slaughter! Her Will … Continue reading

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Mississippi Blood by Greg Iles

I don’t usually do this but this time it is necessary! Spoiler Alert: Do not read this review if you have not already read the previous books- Natchez Burning and The Bone Tree! Mississippi Blood is the final installment in … Continue reading

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