Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Hattie Big Sky was inspired by the author’s great-grandmother who single-handedly “proved up” on a Montana homestead. Many thanks to the librarians at the ImagineIF Libraries of Flathead County, Montana for helping me find an audiobook for this project. Hattie Inez Brooks is a 16 year old orphan living in Iowa with her distance relatives,
Kindred by Octavia Butler
Kindred by Octavia Butler is a very creative way of looking at the horrible and troubling history of slavery in the United States. In Kindred, the protagonist, Dana, time travels from the 1970s to the American South in the years before the Civil War and the end of slavery. In the story, Dana is descended
The Reckoning by John Grisham
This review contains spoilers. The Reckoning, by John Grisham, returns the reader to Ford County Mississippi during the 1940s to 1050s where an unusual murder takes place. Pete Banning, cotton planter, husband, father, and decorated war hero, one day walks into the Methodist church and shoots the pastor. There is no doubt that Pete murdered the
Suspect Red by L. M. Elliott
The early 1950s come alive in Suspect Red with each chapter starting with “current” events, news articles, and information about 1950’s pop culture. The book contains pictures of people, places and events from 1953-1954 as well as comics and maps. A good argument for audio-listeners to have both the book and the audio versions! Author
Masterfully Told Story – Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough
Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough is one of the best written and best told stories that I’ve read in a long time. It is the story of Artemisia Gentileschi, a young painter in Rome in the early 1600s. It is a man’s world and women have little say in their own lives. Artemisia’s mother died when
The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker
The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker is the first book in the Buttons trilogy. Each book focuses on a different Button family member; the first two take place in 1929 and the third book takes place during the Civil War when granddaddy Ike was just a boy. All three of the books are suitable for
Fire & Blood: 300 Years Before A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin
Fire & Blood, by George R R Martin, provides the background history for the Game of Thrones series. Purportedly, the narrative is the piecing together of the various histories of the Targaryen royal family’s uniting of the seven kingdoms and rule of Westeros, so as to present the most accurate account possible. The switching between
Dave at Night by Gail Carson Levine
According to the author Gail Levine, inspiration to write this book came from her father who was an orphan at the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, the real life counterpart for the story’s fictional Hebrew Home for Boys. When Dave Caros’ father dies in an accident, his stepmother places him in the Hebrew Home for Boys; an orphanage
Riot by Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers is known for his creative and unique writing styles when it comes to children’s literature. This book is no exception. It is written as a screenplay complete with directions for the camera shots. While listening to the full cast audiobook with sound effects and music, I felt like I was “watching” the
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi is a pretty amazing book. It is a story that takes place in a dystonian future and is about Juliette, who has survived alone in prison without seeing another person. This isn’t a story of someone wrongly accused. Juliette is in for murder and she believes she deserves to be there and
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater is a young adult paranormal story about Blue, her family, and some boys from a nearby private school. Everyone in Blue’s family is psychic … except for her. Blue does have a gift, she acts as an amplifier for other psychics. Blue has had a number of readings over
The Sea Queen by Linnea Hartsuyker
The Sea Queen by Linnea Hartsuyker continues the story that began in the Half-Drowned King. Ragnvald has sworn to King Harald, who wants to unite all of Norway under his rule. The first book focused on Ragnvald’s rise as a warrior, and his sister Svanhild played a more minor part. In The Sea Queen Svanhild has grown